


Dark Desires

by blackrose_17



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Merlin (TV), Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover Pairings, F/M, M/M, Magical Ianto, Time Lord Ianto Jones, Year That Never Was
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-06-07
Packaged: 2018-02-03 17:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1753481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose_17/pseuds/blackrose_17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her darkness called to him like a beacon through time and space and the Master knew that Morgana was his perfect dark Queen and that their son would have everything he could ever want. However, when the Time War broke out he tragically lost them both. But love, no matter how dark and twisted it may be, still can overcome everything and lost lovers can find their way back to one another. Once reunited the Master and Morgana seek out their son and upon discovering how he has been treated they vow to destroy all those who have harmed their son.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta the always amazing RoyalLadyEmma  
> Written for Round One of the Rare Big Bang

She is darkness and madness wrapped in magic, he is her counterpart. Their souls echo and call to one another as the strands of time and magic dance and entwine with one another  waiting for their union and the child that they shall produce.

******

The young boy, Koschei, who would someday be known as the Master, clenched his eyes closed and covered his ears trying to drown out the endless beating. The sounds of drums echoed endlessly throughout his mind but yet, through all the pounding, he still saw her.

The vast glory of time and space was laid out before him and all he saw was her. Her darkness called to him like a beacon through the void, she was perfect in every way, and she was his other half. A wicked grin curled on his lips as he gazed at his dark-haired future queen. She was his everything and he would happily rip apart all of time and space if he had to until he found her.

******

Time passed and Koschei grew up to become the Time Lord known as the Master and in all those years he never forgot the woman he saw in the time vortex. Slowly he became obsessed with finding her and with all of time at his command it wasn’t hard until he was successful.

Morgana Le Fay – her name was woven throughout all of human history and those blessed with the gift of magic either feared or worshiped her.

In the Master’s eyes she was beyond perfect and at long last he had found the only one worthy to stand beside him as ruler over everything.

Her name fell from his lips like a prayer, "Morgana, you will be mine."

At long last the Master had found his perfect companion, the one who would stay beside him, and as always when he thought of her, the image of her holding their precious son filled his normally cold hearts with warmth. He longed for the day when he could finally call them both his.

******

Rage, unbridled blinding rage filled Morgana as she realised that Uther had been lying to her all these years, pretending to be her father's friend when all long he'd been nothing but a two-faced liar. Her father, who had died for Uther, had no idea that he had been betrayed, that the daughter he loved with all his heart wasn't truly his.

She hated Uther and all the lies he stood for and Morgana vowed with every fibre of her being that somehow, some way, she would see him pay.

******

_Centuries later_

It took the Master more time than he would have liked before he found a way to seek out the dark beauty who had been calling to his soul but he finally managed to land his hands on a TARDIS and he immediately began his journey to find his future queen. Beneath him the TARDIS hummed to life, he could feel her excitement and it matched his own. “Yes, you’re happy too that I will finally find my dark queen.”

The TARDIS purred happily but an underline of worry could be heard in its song; she knew that the Master would not be happy with how he found Morgana and she pitied those who had left her to die.

******

Morgana knew she was close to death; the wounds she’d suffered had been great and she knew that she was lucky to have escaped Camelot with her life just as she knew that without treatment or help she would soon die.

Weak from blood loss she stumbled and fell to the ground and discovered to her dismay that she did not have the strength to climb back to her feet. _'I'm going to die in this forest, this cannot be my fate.'_ Morgana didn't want to die, she wasn’t ready yet, there were still so many thins left that she wanted to do first, and tears slowly began welling up in her eyes. She was so very afraid; she was going to die alone and unloved in the middle of nowhere and her death would not be mourned by anyone.

Slowly her eyes grew heavy and darkness began to creep into her vision and Morgana knew this was it; this was the moment she left this world. “I’m sorry, my sister, that I couldn’t claim Camelot for us and that I couldn’t make Arthur pay for the sins his family has committed in the name of justice,” Morgana whispered softly as her eyes fluttered closed for what would most likely be the very last time.

As gentle blanket of darkness overtook the sorceress, she didn’t see a strange-looking ship fade in and out in front of a big oak tree and slowly blend in with the scenery. She didn’t see the heavy wooden doors fly open or the dark-haired man who came rushing out and fell to his knees in front of the nearly dead Morgana. She didn’t feel the way he quickly gathered her up into his arms nor could she feel the overwhelming wave of emotion that engulfed him when he saw her injury-ravaged body. A rage unlike anything the Time Lord had ever felt filled his soul as he whispered to his beloved, “Hang on, my dark queen; do not leave me just yet.”

As she hovered on the fine line between life and death Morgana heard a voice that called to her very soul and sent her magic singing with joy. She instinctively knew that she needed to stay among the living for this man and this man only, he was hers just as she was his. _‘For you, my unknown saviour, I will continue to fight.’_ She wishing she had the strength to open her eyes and see the man who called to her soul.

The Master could feel threads of strength returning to Morgana as he continued to call to her. “That’s my girl, fight for me, for us; we have such a great destiny to fulfill and I have so many wonders to show you.” In an uncharacteristic show of tenderness the Master pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, and then, tightening his grip on the precious bundle in his arms the Master quickly made his way back into the TARDIS. “Lead me to the medical bay,” he ordered under his breath once they were safely inside.

Beneath his feet the TARDIS’ floor lit up leading the way to the medical bay where the Master carefully laid his future queen down upon the bed. He hissed angrily when he saw how pale she looked and the scans the TARDIS was running showed that she had suffered several internal injuries that if left untreated would lead to her death. That thought chilled the Master straight to his very core.

“Do not leave me just yet, my love. I have been waiting for this moment for so long and now that we are finally together you cannot leave me, not when those who hurt you must pay for their actions. With you by my side pay they will," the Master vowed darkly. If he had to he would hunt them down until the end of the universe to see them suffer for hurting his future mate.

Around him the TARDIS hummed with a disconcerted tone; she could feel the growing darkness in her Time Lord's hearts and she didn’t like it, but she knew that what was to come was destined to happen and the path could not be changed.

“Once old friends will become the most bitter of enemies,” she whispered her warning to the Universe.

******

As awareness slowly returned to her, Morgana became aware that she could hear the most beautiful voice that seemed to be singing to her very soul. Never had she felt such peace, serenity and love; she felt as though she could stay there forever.

Gentle laughter washed over her followed by a musical voice whispering gently in her ear, _"I'm afraid you can't do that, my dear, there is someone anxiously waiting to meet you. All you have to do is wake up,'_ the voice sweetly urged.

Curiosity peaked in Morgana. _'I guess it wouldn't hurt to wake up and meet whoever saved me.'_ Regretfully, the dark-haired woman forced herself to return to awareness and to the land of the living. A groan of protest escaped her lips as her eyes fluttered open and quickly slammed shut again against the bright light shining within the room.

"Turn off the lights!" a male voice ordered softly yet sternly while at the same time a strong hand slowly and tenderly began running his fingers through her hair. "It’s all right now, the lights have been dimmed; it's safe to open your eyes again but take your time and don't rush yourself." The man’s voice was soft and reassuring but Morgana could hear the power the man carried within him.

 _'How do you dim sunlight?'_ Morgana wondered to herself but with a soft sigh she slowly once again opened her eyes and like the man said the lights, whatever they are, were much less brighter than before and far less painful to see. After blinking a few times she found herself adjusting to the dimmer room and her eyes quickly landed on the dark-haired man standing by her side. The first thing she noticed was that his dark eyes were full of worry for her and it caused Morgana's heart to skip a beat. It had been such a long time since anyone had looked at her like that.

Neither one spoke for a moment as they stared at one another until the man cleared his throat. "Do you think you can sit up?" he asked in the same gentle tone as before.

"I think so, with a little help." Morgana hated to ask for help, she always had, but she could feel the weakness in her body and her arms shook just a little as she tried and failed to push herself up. Strong arms wrapped around her and easily helped her to sit up and something Morgana thought that had been long dead inside her warmed as the man continued to keep his arms around her long after it was necessary. "Who are you?" She wanted to know the name of her saviour.

"Most call me the Master but you can call me Koschei." Koschei lifted Morgana's hand and gallantly pressed a kiss onto the back of her wrist, “and I know you are my dearest Morgana."

Shivers rolled up and down Morgana's spine as Koschei's lips brushed against her skin and she could feel the ancient power he carried within him wash over her like a tidal wave. “What are you?” she gasped. “There is a power in you that is unlike any magic I have ever felt before.”

A proud grin graced the Master’s face; he wasn’t at all surprised that his bond mate had sensed the power he had within him. “Oh, trust me when I say that I am unlike anyone you have ever met before. I am no mere man, my queen; I could be considered a god to less intelligent minds.” Morgana shivered as the Master's fingers slowly trailed over her bare arm while his husky voice washed over her. Stilling his movement, he whispered in her ear, "I can give you power you can't even begin to image. All of time is mine to command."

Heat and hunger filled Morgana's eyes as she leaned into his touch. "You could help me destroy Arthur, to bring Camelot to its knees?" she asked huskily, the offer this man made was oh-so-very tempting and then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What would you want in return?" She knew that such a tempting offer would not come without a price, probably a steep one.

The Master grinned as he curled his arms around Morgana's waist and pulled her flush against his body before whispering seductively in her ear, "You are, my dear; as my dark queen you will rule over not only Camelot but all of time itself."

A wicked grin curled Morgana's lips as she wrapped her arms around the Master's neck. "If what you say is true then why would I settle for just Camelot when you could show me things beyond my greatest desire?” the dark sorceress purred. She had always found power intoxicating and if what the Master said was true then he could offer her everything she could ever need or want and so much more.

Throwing his head back the Master let out a bark of highly amused laughter. “Oh you are indeed my perfect match; I can give you the stars themselves.”

The grin on Morgana’s beautiful face grew into an all-out smile as strength returned to her arms and she wrapped them around his neck. “Then we have a deal and I’ve always believed that a deal should be sealed with a kiss.”

 _‘Oh yes,’_ the Master purred, _‘Morgana is indeed my perfect match.’_ “From now on I will be the only one you shall be kissing, because you’ll find, my dear, that I am very possessive of those I consider mine.”

Morgana shifted closer feeling more and more strength returning to her body and the magic in her began humming in time with the power flowing through him. “That sounds fair because I will flay alive anyone who dares to take what is mine.”

The look of promise that burned in Morgana’s eyes as she finished her threat had the Master’s blood burning with the need to claim this woman as his for all eternity. “Mine!” he snarled out as he wound one of his hands into her dark locks and crushed his lips to hers in a deeply possessive kiss leaving no doubt in her mind who she belonged to.

Morgana found herself melting into the kiss and returning the hunger with just as much need and passion. They kissed for several moments, their connection growing with intensity and even as their lungs began to burn with the need for air neither was willing to break the kiss that seemed to scorch their very souls.

Finally despite how they fought against it the desperate need for air broke them apart. Panting slightly Morgana rested her forehead against the Master’s. “I want to know everything there is to know about you,” her eyes flickered away from him to take in the strange room they were in before returning back to him, “and for that matter, just where we are? I’ve never seen a place like this before.”

With tenderness he didn’t know he had the Master gently stroked Morgana’s hair. “For you I am an open book, ask and I will reveal my secrets.” He would gladly tell Morgana everything she wanted to know about him and his people but he could never take her to Gallifrey as much as he wanted to it. It broke his hearts that she would never see the magnificent spires of his home, but it simply would not be safe for her. Morgana was too deeply rooted in the history and legends of the human race and they would force him to give her up and that was something he would _never_ allow to happen. 

******

_One liner year later in a 51 st Century hospital _

It had taken a long time over many days for Morgana to completely understand everything the Master told her about his race and the fact that there was life on other planets – even the fact that there were other planets – sent a new hunger surging through her veins. The sorceress was filled with pure wonder by the power her new lover had at his fingertips. Neither could refuse the undeniably strong pull that existed between the two of them; there was something inexplicably strong bonding them together and it was far more than just their simple lust for power.

No, it was a true bonding of souls so one month after saving her from near death the two of them married in an millennia- old ritual that bound their hearts and souls for eternity. They didn’t hesitate for an instant in pledging their lives together for they knew no one else would ever complete them as they did. And it was only a few short months after that happy day that a delighted TARDIS informed them of the most joyous news ever: Morgana was pregnant.

Which eventually led them here to a delivery suite rather elegantly appointed in comforting shades of blue and green, with soft music playing in the background and mildly-scented aromatherapy candles burning in the corners. It was all designed to put the mother-to-be at ease thereby facilitating a smooth birth. The Master would allow only the very best for his mate and child.

“That’s it, you’re doing so wonderfully!” the Master encouraged Morgana as she clenched his hands in a bone-breaking grip.

A pained snarl escaped Morgana’s lips as she glared at her husband. “Next time _you_ shall carry and deliver our child and see how wonderful you feel in that moment.”

Their doctor, Shea, just shook her head with an indulgent smile on her face as she look at the Master. “That can be arranged, you know, it’s relatively easy and it’s one of our most popular procures.”

The words “no way in hell!” died quickly on the Master’s lips as Morgana shot him a cutting look that shouted “it would be wise to keep your mouth shut for now!” He decided that it would be much safer if he broached the subject again later, much later, when Morgana wasn’t about ready to remove his manhood. “We’ll talk later, dear,” he promised sweetly.

Acknowledging her victory with a swift nod, Morgana’s smug look faded as another wave of pain crashed over her, and oh how she wished she could have something, _anything_ to help with the pain but because of the magic humming through her veins and the unique combination of magic and time that existed in their son any form of pain medication the hospital pharmacy could give her was burned off before it helped her at all.

Shea smiled at Morgana, “Only a little longer, your son is very eager to join the world and meet the two of you.”

The Master was torn; on one hand he was beyond joy that Morgana was giving him his son but he hated seeing her in any type of pain, including that of childbirth. It was a troublesome paradox; there couldn’t be one without the other. “I’m so proud of you,” he murmured pressing a kiss on top of her sweat-matted dark locks.

Even though she was in a great amount of pain Morgana still smiled up at her husband; she couldn’t wait for their son to be born and she knew she wouldn’t change a thing about their lives together but still, it would be quite a few years before she even considered having another child.

Having finished yet another physical exam, Shea looked up at Morgana and grinned brightly. “Alright, this is it. When I tell you to, I need you to push harder than you ever have before, okay? Ready, one, two, three, PUSH!”

What happened next, Morgana and the Master would never be fully able to recall except for the blinding and crushing pain the Master felt in his hand as Morgana mashed his hand within her grip as she cried out in excruciating pain.

But none of that mattered as another cry immediately cut through the air leaving them both bewildered and relieved that after hours of struggling, the process of giving birth was over so abruptly. Astonished and humbled by the miracle their love had created, they could only stare at the tiny figure wiggling around in Shea’s arms and shrieking indignantly at the world. The doctor smiled at them as she laid the squawling infant on Morgana’s chest, “May I introduce your son?”

Neither parent could find the right words to speak as they stared in pure awe at their son. Tears streamed unchecked down Morgana’s cheeks while the Master swallowed convulsively past the huge lump in his throat.

A nurse came forward and gently took the precious bundle from Morgana’s arms and she smiled reassuringly at them when they made sounds of distress. “I’m just going to clean him up and then I’ll have him right back to the two of you,” the fairy-like creature promised. It had warmed Morgana’s heart when she had first seen the wide variety of magic creatures walking freely throughout the universe. The sorceress had expressed her gratitude so many times to the powers-that-be that such wonderful beings were no longer hunted for being different but were celebrated and in some places still worshiped.

When Morgana checked in to the hospital, the delicate fairy had been assigned as her personal nurse a coincidence which immediately relieved some of her stress. As a child, Morgana’s best friend, so to speak, had been a fairy, someone she could talk to and confide in when life amongst powerful adults became too much. Unlike most human children however, who lose their ability to see magical creatures when they grow up, Morgana had retained her gift. Having one at her bedside to comfort her and wipe the sweat from her forehead almost compensated for not being able to use conventional pain medications.

While their eyes were following the disappearing form of the fairy nurse Shea had finished up her scans of Morgana and the doctor was pleased to see that her patient was healing just fine. There looked to be no problems as she had first feared, because after all, it wasn’t every day that one delivered a child born of both magic and time. “Everything looks to be fine and I believe we can get you moved to your private room once Neara returns with your son.”

Time seemed to drag on impossibly slowly as Morgana and the Master waited for the nurse to return with their son but soon Neara was back with their newborn swaddled in warm blankets and still yelling loudly about being ejected from the cosy little nest he’d been enjoying for so long.

Gently the Master cradled his newborn son in his arms. "My beloved little Ianto, oh my son, you are my greatest treasure and I will make sure you know of your great destiny." The Master’s hearts leaped for joy as his son’s cries lessened and he calmed at the sound of his soft voice. _‘He knows I’m his father!’_ was the proud thought running through his mind and then the truth slammed into the Master’s mind like a freight train, _‘I am a father!’_ It was truly the most incredible moment of his long, long life.

Exhausted by many long and painful hours of labour as well as the inability to sleep for more than two hours at a time for the past few months, Morgana watched the two most important people in her life bond. A tired smile played upon her lips as she spoke her son’s name for the first time, “Ianto,” she whispered and her eyes widened as the infant turned his head and seemed to look her straight in the eye. _‘You’re just seeing things, old girl; babies can’t focus their eyes this young… can they?’_

Finally tearing his eyes off their tiny son the Master carefully sat down next to Morgana and placed Ianto into his waiting mother’s arms and as he watched Morgana kiss his tiny hands the Master knew he would rip apart anyone and anything that thought to harm his two most important people. “Our son will always have everything he desires, he shall never suffer as we have,” he told his wife.

Stroking her finger gently across his tiny cheek, Morgana smiled down fondly at her son; she was absolutely besotted by him. "Yes, Ianto shall have the life we never had and he will have the whole universe at his fingertips."

The Master knew he would do everything in his power to keep his wife and son safe but he’d messed with history in a big way by saving Morgana and he knew that the other Time Lords wouldn't let them have any peace until time was put right again.

******

For four years the Master and Morgana managed to dodge the relentless pursuit of the Time Lords and they watched as their son grew up a happy and well-adjusted little boy. Their TARDIS adored Ianto and always made sure he had everything he could ever need, from fresh nappies, clean pyjamas and healthy food as a baby to both fun and educational toys as he grew older. Her greatest delight was singing him to sleep each and every night, and then keeping an eye on his all night long. Despite their idyllic life, in the back of his mind the Master always worried about the day that they would track him down.

Their day of reckoning came far sooner than he could have predicted.

Time began to swirl around him and Ianto began to cry with great distress; because he was born of magic and time he could feel the relentless shift as the TARDIS was forcibly pulled back to Gallifrey for one reason and one horrible reason only. The Time War had come and the Master found himself being dragged away from his family to fight in a war he didn’t want to be any part of.

As one of their greatest warriors the Gallifreyan leaders could not have the Master distracted for even a moment nor could they risk his defection for any reason so the Time Lords’ council made the choice to lock away the Master's memories of his family. They returned Morgana to her own time and because they feared deep in their hearts the power of a child with both magic and time flowing through his veins, the son of two of the most evil souls the universe had ever know, they locked away Ianto's Time Lord half and bound his magic. Finally, the elders placed him on Earth where he would live out his life as a mortal human, hoping that when he died, the power of magic and time would die with him.

What the great minds of Gallifrey forgot was that magic protects its own; it didn't matter who Ianto's partners were he was still theirs and they would do everything in their power to protect the last of their line. The time line itself would remain intact: Morgana would die but she would not stay dead. The pure desire to find her son and her husband summoned the last of her magic and after Merlin left her for dead she managed to call her TARDIS to her.

As the familiar walls surrounded her and then solidified, Morgana smiled when she found herself in the TARDIS’ medical bay. "Thank you, my friend, this will help me and then together, we will find my husband and once we are reunited if we have to we will rip apart the universe until we find our son," Morgana vowed. For she never forgot her son's terrified sobs and his endless calling for his mom and dad.


	2. Chapter 2

_At the end of the Universe_

It was a Time Lord law that they could not mess with time; certain events were meant to happen whether they were good or bad – they were referred to as fixed points – and as much as the Doctor’s TARDIS wished she could avoid the pain that was going to befall this family the fateful reunion was meant to happen. Her biggest regret about the situation was that her beloved immortal, Jack Harkness, would have to suffer so much but she knew it was necessary pain. It would open his eyes to the enduring love that had been right before his eyes all along but he was just to blind to see it.

Much like that of the Master and Morgana his love story was one meant to be told.

*****

Martha Jones had no idea that her one innocent and meant-to-be-helpful comment would trigger such catastrophic events when she brought Professor Yana's attention to his old and broken pocket watch.

_"Remember her and your son. Remember what they took from you. Open me and everything will become clear once again."_

For as long as Yana could remember he had heard those whispers but since the arrival of the Doctor and his friends at the silo on the Malcassairo they had grown so much stronger and so persistent that finally they were all he could hear. He knew that the only way he was going to keep his sanity was to open up his fob watch.

Chantho had an uneasy almost queasy feeling in her stomach and even sipping her own internal milk did nothing to calm her as she watched her beloved professor stare at his watch like it held all the answers he could ever need.

_'Open me!'_ the watch continued to whisper, its words as relentless as the drumming in his heart.

_'Yes. Yes, I will open you.'_ There was a sudden change in him as he made that decision. Gone was the kind, bewildered and caring Dr Yana and in his place stood a man with an ugly, dark and blazing fire in his eyes. He had things to do; he didn’t know what they were although the watch would tell him very soon.

But he couldn't let anyone get in his way.

Pasting a nasty, overly-sweet smile on his face he slowly turned his gaze onto the trembling Chantho. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I can't have anyone stopping me from finding my family," he explained to her as he advanced menacingly on the alien female who’d been his faithful friend and tireless assistant.

******

The Doctor felt fear gripping both his hearts in fists of iron as he ran frantically through the hallways with Jack and Martha right behind him. _'This is not good, not good at all.'_ The words were on a continuous loop in his head. Martha simply _had_ to be wrong. It couldn't be him for if it was they were all in very big trouble. He didn’t know which was worse, running towards a deranged Time Lord who was up to Rassilon knew what or running away from the Futurekind who had somehow gained entry to the compound and were snapping at their heels. The trio could feel the horrible creatures fetid breath on their necks.

They finally managed to reach the lab and Martha pressed the code into the key pad but it didn't work, the door didn’t budge and Jack tried his wrist strap to no avail. The heavy metal door just wouldn’t open.

The Doctor pounded on the door frantically. “Professor! Professor, where are you?! Professor! Professor, are you there?! Please, I need to explain! Whatever you do, don't open that watch!" he shouted frantically. When he looked through the small window he was pleased to see that Yana still hadn't opened his watch; there was still time.

Jack kept trying to override the door’s commands with his wrist strap as Martha maintained a fearful watch down the corridor. “They’re coming!” she called back to them.

The Doctor pounded again on the door. “Open the door, please! I’m begging you, Professor! Please! Listen to me!” He couldn't allow the Master to awaken; it would lead to nothing but trouble.

Growling under his breath in frustration Jack gave up and pulled out his trusty Webley, smashing the butt into the keypad and breaking it with a single blow, sending a shower of sparks flying. The door immediately opened and they rushed in just as the Futurekind rounded the corner. The Doctor stepped forward just as Professor Yana backed into the TARDIS and shut the door the door as well as he could, considering the thick cabling that ran from the ship’s centre console out to Dr Yana’s rocket controls.

While Jack and Martha were doing their best to close the damaged door and keep the Futurekind from breaking in to the lab, the Doctor was trying just as desperately to open the doors to his TARDIS but with no success. Finally he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at his ship.

Jack was straining with all his might to keep the Futurekind out of the lab and give the Doctor the time he needed to work. _'I am not becoming their endless supply of food! Ianto is in Cardiff waiting for me and I have to get back to him so I do things right with him.'_ The idea of becoming trapped and never seeing his beloved Welshman again brought forth all of Jack's regrets. The biggest one, the one that weighed most heavily on his conscience was his callous treatment of Ianto. _‘I should have taken_ the time to treat _the he_ _deserves to_ _be treated.'_ As he struggled against the combined might of the Futurekind Jack Harkness vowed that when he got back he was going to do things right.

A choked sob escaped Martha's lips as she spotted the lifeless body of Chantho. "She's dead," and there was no doubt of about who killed had her. The young doctor-in-training, who’d taken a solemn oath to preserve life, mourned the loss of yet another precious being.

******

Uncaring of the Doctor's continued pleading the Master opened his watch and the effect was immediate and explosive. Within a single beat of his two hearts – _‘two hearts, they’re wonderful!’ –_ everything he’d ever known, ever experienced and ever lost flared into life in his mind. He welcomed every iota of that knowledge until the horrible truth of his family arrived and then the searing pain accompanying that memory nearly drove him to his knees.

As his essence returned the Master’s long-dormant rage filled the Time Lord as he realised what the empty pieces of his soul and his hearts were: _‘My wife! My son! They robbed me of my beloved Morgana and my precious Ianto! The ruling council is lucky they’re gone for there is nothing that could save them from my wrath!’_ the Master snarled viciously to himself. ‘ _I must find them; I must get my family back!’_ The need to find his loved ones took on a life of its own and became his driving purpose in life.

His son, his precious son made human with his memories of his true family ripped away from him, left to die as a pathetic mortal. They had punished his son for no other reason than he was the son of Koschei and Morgana. Ianto was an innocent child who’d committed no sin, who’d done nothing wrong! “They will all pay for what they have done to my family!”

Oh yes, the universe would burn brighter than the most brilliant sun until he found his family.

******

“I’m begging you! Everything’s changed! It’s only the two of us! We’re the only ones left!” the Doctor was pleading desperately. “Just let me in!” Nothing had ever been so important to him in all his eight-hundred-plus years, _nothing._ He had to make the renegade Time Lord see reason before it was too late.

"Doctor! You better think of something and soon!" Jack was equally desperate, knowing that he and Martha couldn't keep the door closed for very much longer not with more and more Futurekind arriving and adding their strength to trying to bring down the door.

The Master reacted to the Doctor’s news about the fate of their race far differently than the Doctor had intended. There was pure, malicious joy in his voice as he shouted back, "I don't care! I'm glad they are gone! They took the only things that ever mattered to me, my wife and my son, but now I can get them back and nothing is going to stand in my way, not even you, Doctor!" The voice of the newly-regenerated Time Lord broadcast his plans around the TARDIS’ console room.

Even as she battled for her life, something caught Martha’s attention; she stared at the TARDIS a frown on her face and a puzzled look in her eyes. “Hang on, I know that voice,” she said thoughtfully, searching her memory for the connection.

 The Doctor ignored Martha’s concerns and continued trying to reason with the Master. "I'm sorry about your family, really I am, but I'm asking you really properly, just stop! Please! Just think! Is this the right way to go about getting your family back?" He hoped his surprise at the Master’s news; he didn't know that the man had a family. "Master, stop and think!"

 Abruptly the Master’s tone changed from menacing intent to surprised gloating. "Oh! I see you have a true freak travelling with you, old friend! Did you know he has the scent of my son clinging to him?" Again his voice changed as he realised the implications of what he just said. “He has defiled the purity of my only son! He will pay dearly for that!” the Time Lord now known as the Master snarled out viciously. Ianto had always held a distinct personal scent caused by the mingling of time and magic in his veins and he was absolutely beyond disgusted to find it clinging to the immortal abomination.

 Jack nearly lost his hold on the door as he absorbed the shocking news. "Ianto? _My_ Ianto is this killer's son?" Jack couldn't, no, he _wouldn't_ believe it. There was no way his beautiful, kind-hearted, loving and generous Ianto was related to such an evil man. “No!”

Watching and listening to Jack and Martha on the TARDIS’ central monitor, the Master heard Jack’s comments. "Oh yes, Captain, he is related to me which means that my son is far too good for the likes of a freak of nature like you. Tell me, does he know where you are or did you simply run off and leave him behind to worry and wonder?" Seeing Jack's guilty flinch was all the answer the Master needed.

Martha glanced at Jack curiously; “You know this Ianto?” but Jack didn’t answer her question, he couldn’t even look her in the eye.

"You abandon my son and then have the gall to lay claim to him? No, Captain, I will see to it that any love my son may have had for you is no more; you will be less than nothing to Ianto by the time I am done. I will destroy you! Never again will you lay a finger on my son!" the Master snarled his bitter rage over his only child being abandoned by the man he so foolishly loved. The burning need for revenge nearly blinded him as he began powering up the TARDIS.

The Doctor could only watch in horror as the Master brought his beloved TARDIS to life and it was only Jack's desperate cry, "We can't hold out much longer, Doctor!" that broke him from his trance and spurred the Doctor into action. With a sharp flick of his wrist he aimed his sonic screwdriver at his TARDIS; he might not be able to stop the Master from taking her away from him, but he could limit the maniac’s options. _'I just pray that it is enough.'_

“End of the universe. Have fun. Bye bye!” the Master chanted with annoying cheerfulness. "Oh and Jack? I'll make sure to tell Ianto all about where you went and who you abandoned him for." The gloating triumph in his voice set Jack’s teeth on edge and even had Martha cringing in sympathy for her friend.

 

Jack snarled in frustration, wishing he could get into the TARDIS to stop the maniac before he could reach Ianto. He didn't want to think about or even try to imagine the pain that would appear in Ianto's eyes if the Master really was cruel enough to tell his son who Jack had run off so desperately to be with. _'Please, Ianto, give me a chance to explain and I know we can make things right.'_

 

The thought that his precious Ianto would look at him with pure hate in his eyes sent a sharp, piercing pain into the very depths of Jack's heart. He’d already experienced that once before and it had been a truly horrible experience and he did not believe he could go through that again. Fortunately, before he could get lost in his memories, the Futurekind launched a new and partially successful attack on the door.

 

“Doctor, get your ass over here and help us!” Jack shouted, his voice firm, direct and extremely commanding in hopes of snapping the Time Lord out of his daze. He was damn well not going to end up stuck on this hell hole with the Futurekind cannibals, not when he had a treasure like Ianto to get back to and _‘by God, if_ _have_ _to smack the Doctor_ _I will!'_

 

Jack’s tactic worked perfectly. The Doctor stopped staring at the vacant spot on the floor where his TARDIS had been just moments ago and looked behind him in surprise. Seeing that his companions were losing the battle against their pursuers, he dashed over to them. “Right! We have to get out of here.” He grabbed Jack’s arm and pointed his sonic screwdriver at his wrist strap.

 

“Doc, it doesn’t work, remember!” Jack frantically reminded him.

 

“I can fix it if you’ll…” the Doctor yanked Jack’s arm into place, “hold it still!”

 

“Easier said than done,” Jack groused as he braced his feet and pushed against the door with all his might. He watched with wary fascination as the Doctor tried several different settings on his screwdriver before arriving at the correct one. “You think it’ll carry all of us that far?” He prayed it would, he prayed with all his might; he needed to get to Ianto before the Master could poison his lover’s mind against him.

 

“You’ve got me, so course it will,” the Doctor said confidently. “Martha, hold onto me.” He grabbed Jack’s arm and put Martha’s hand over the wrist strap, clamped his own hand on top of hers and then he pushed a button on his screwdriver. Instantly the lab at the end of the universe faded away as nano-seconds they landed rather roughly in an alley.

 

Jack shook himself from head to toe, shaking off the effects of the time vortex; Martha was hiding behind a large bin, vomiting quietly. The Doctor seemed totally unaffected by their journey as he looked around them with great curiosity.

 

It only took Jack a few seconds of looking around to recognise that true to the Doctor’s prediction, they were indeed back in Cardiff and there was only one thing on his mind: getting to Ianto. _'Please let us have beaten him here.'_ Jack refused to think about the idea of his Ianto in the hands of the Master.

 

******

After the TARDIS had finished healing her, Morgana immediately began a spell that would search to the ends of the universe for her lost family. She knew it was working when a familiar tingle began warming her heart; the unbreakable bond between her and her husband was strong enough to cross even the vastness of the void. Her eyes were glowing bright amber and she smiled as the TARDIS lent her some of her own inexhaustible power and that extra burst allowed her to see through all of time and space. After days of endless searching the dark sorceress had finally found what she was looking for.

 

Morgana had found her husband, Koschei, and their only son, Ianto.

 

"Cardiff, here we come." Morgana purred with anticipation, her body literally quivering with excitement as she set the coordinates for their destination and then, with one push of a lever, sent the TARDIS soaring through the vortex. It was time for a _long_ overdue family reunion.


	3. Chapter 3

He sensed her arrival long before he saw her. They had both been inexorably drawn to the same place, Roald Dahl Plass, where they knew their son would soon be working. "Hello, my dark queen," he whispered in her ear his was breath hot against her skin and it sent a shiver down her spine.  


Morgana's heartbeat quickened as she let the voice of her husband roll over her like waves crashing against the rocky shore. "Koschei," she whispered in a breathless tone as she turned to face the man she never thought she would see again. Even though his face had changed dramatically, Morgana would know her love no matter what face he wore. "My husband," her whisper was filled with pure gratitude. “My love.”

For a moment neither one of them could move, able to do nothing more than simply drink in the sight of the other after so long apart. The fear that they might never see one another again was slowly erased as they allowed their love to heal all wounds. Neither one of them would ever be able to remember who moved first but the very next moment they found themselves back in each other’s arms sharing a kiss that only true soul mates can ever experience and as their lips met for the first time in forever, it felt like they had never been forced apart.

"He's here, Koschei, our precious son is so close and yet so far away," Morgana whispered softly as she rested her head in the crook of the Master's shoulder. She wanted her son back with them; it was the only place in all of time and space where he belonged.

Stroking her hair comfortingly, the Master pressed a kiss on the top of her head. "Do not worry my love; soon we will be a family again. Our biggest obstacle to getting our son back with us will soon callously abandon him and it will be up to us to nurse his broken heart. But before that can happen we have much work to do."

Admiring how sure of himself her husband was, Morgana pulled away from him just a bit and raised an inquiring eyebrow. "What do you have in mind, husband?"

The Master’s smile was pure evil. "Why, my dear, I thought you’d never ask! I plan on giving you the kingdom you've always deserved. This world is ignorant and malleable and it will soon be ours for the taking; there is nothing to stop us from crushing these fools beneath our heels. They are weak-minded and arrogant which makes them incapable of resisting our will. Each and every one of them will bow to our will soon enough."

******

The hardest part of the Master's plan was waiting their son; he was so very close yet still so far out of their reach. As much as he wanted Ianto far away from the Doctor’s immortal freak, Captain Jack Harkness, the meeting between him and their son, as well as Ianto working for Torchwood Three were set points in time.

Yes, it would have been so easy for them to use their TARDIS and go back and claim their son while he was still young, innocent and untainted by human ideas and influences. One of their deepest regrets was that they’d missed seeing him grow up; their last memories were of a sweet and imaginative four-year-old running and laughing through the halls of the TARDIS. There was no way of knowing what eighteen years of living with humans and absorbing their insidious way of thinking, _‘equality for all – has a more ridiculous idea ever put forth?’_ might have done to his mind, heart and soul.

Despite the combined threats of both the Master and Morgana depicting a horrendous demise for her, to the Master’s utter dismay their TARDIS refused to budge an inch. Ianto was destined to be soul-bonded to Jack Harkness; the TARDIS had searched every possible time line and they all pointed to one thing: their souls were one. When the Master tried to dismiss her findings as romantic drivel and female nonsense, she gently reminded him of the way his and Morgana's souls had called them to one devote themselves to another. The Master did not like being told no, not by anyone and not even when it was the only answer available, but he could do nothing if his TARDIS refused to change her mind.

Not even the combined powers and parental determination of the Master and Morgana could alter what must happen.

So, instead of reuniting with his son as he had fervently hoped to do, the Master decided it would be far better to focus his attention on doing everything he could to ensure his son's safety and happiness, even if the latter meant leaving him with the detestable Jack Harkness. Later, as he discussed the decision with his wife, he stated, "Our son needs a guard dog, something or someone that is loyal only to him.  Even though I wish it weren’t true, right now, there’s no better place for him to be than in that Hub." 

Even though Morgana’s heart was aching to hold her only child in her arms again, she bowed to her husband’s logic. _‘Soon, my son, soon,’_ she promised.

That evening, tucked away in the elaborate home theatre the TARDIS had created for him, the Master’s heart was heavy with melancholy over the many years he’d lost with his son. It was precious, irreplaceable time that could have been spent at his father’s knee, learning how to be a god amongst men. He flicked a switch and film of Ianto as a beautiful four-year-old without a care in the world, completely unaware that life as he knew it was about to end, began playing on the overly-large monitor, making Ianto appear life-size.

The TARDIS had chosen video at random for her Master to watch, and this one in particular showed him running through the halls of their TARDIS, laughing with delight as he flew a stuffed plushie toy through the air beside him.

Then something caught his eye. "Why hello there you beautiful idea, you," he murmured as he studied the video of Ianto. His son had come to a stop outside the ship’s conservatory and was sitting on the floor talking to his fuzzy toy; the Master zoomed in on the scene and discovered that the plushie Ianto was having such an involved conversation with was a stuffed dinosaur, a pterodactyl, to be precise.

"I think we have our winner." Oh yes, bringing his son’s favourite childhood plushie to life was a brilliant stroke of genius, if the Master didn’t mind saying so himself. A pet pteranodon would be the perfect guard dog disguised as a familiar pet for his son.

Excited by his idea, the Time Lord summoned his wife to join him, and after a short delay, the sorceress turned up with a lavishly set up tea tray. True, she could have used her powers to simply summon anything she desired, but Morgana was an old-fashioned wife in many aspects. She took a great deal of pleasure and pride in preparing meals for them each day, as well as doing all the mundane tasks required to maintain a well-run household. Well, most of the chores, anyway; even Morgana detested emptying the trash bin so naturally she made the man of the house do it!  

Looking up, the Master smiled with delight to see her; the tea tray came in a distant second despite being laden with his favourite indulgent bits to eat.

Morgana met her husband’s smile with a kiss before sitting down and pouring him a cup of fragrant tea and serving him a selection of pastries, both savoury and sweet. They had become avid tea drinkers while on their honeymoon after discovering it on the distant planet of Tie Guan Yin, in the Pu’er Galaxy. Afternoon tea had been a nearly daily ritual for them before their family had been destroyed and it was one that Morgana resumed the first day she and the Master were back together.

Having allowed her husband a few minutes to enjoy his tea and nibbles, Morgana refilled his cup and then sat back. “Now, Koschie, what is so important?”

The Time Lord turned the video screen back on and pointed to frozen image of their son. “I’ve discovered the perfect body guard for Ianto.”

At first, Morgana didn’t understand what he was talking about, so the Master enlarged the appropriate portion of the screen and set the picture in motion. Together, the parents watched and listened to their son speaking in Gallifreyan, talking excitedly to and whispering quietly in the ear of his toy. “I know that toy,” Morgana said softly, her eyes filled with tears. “He wouldn’t sleep without it, remember?”

Touched by the look of pain on his wife’s beautiful face, the Master abandoned his tea and took a seat on the arm of his wife’s chair, taking her hand in his. “I do, and I remember how we had to sneak it away from him in the middle of night so it could be laundered and repaired.”

“That’s right!” Morgana laughed, “I’d forgotten that bit.”

“What do you think of bringing that toy to life and letting it keep an eye on our boy?”

Morgana nodded with approval. “I think he’d love it!”

The Master gestured toward the screen with a sweeping wave and a wide smile on his face. "If you wouldn't mind, my dear."

Closing her eyes, Morgana concentrated for a moment before muttering a spell that would pull Myfanwy from her own prehistoric time and set her loose in an abandoned warehouse down on Cardiff’s docks. Then she set in motion the steps that would lead Ianto to find her.

With another quick spell, the sorceress opened up a viewing window in the warehouse. "Only you would think of giving our son a living pteranodon as a pet," she murmured with affection as they watched Myfanwy fly around the vast emptiness of the empty building.

Beaming pride at his wife’s praise, the Master kissed Morgana on top of her head and then another brainstorm hit. "I wonder if I could train her to bite Harkness whenever he gets too close to Ianto?" he asked under his breath.

“I heard that, Koschie.” Morgana fixed her lover with a wifely look. "You cannot go around maiming everyone who takes an interest in our son and you certainly may not kill or torture Jack Harkness just because he annoys you. He is the other half of our son's heart and besides, I believe that harming Jack will only end up pushing Ianto away from us for good." That was something that Morgana couldn't have happen; she’d already missed far too much of her only child’s life and she refused to miss any more. She just hoped her husband could put aside his hatred of Jack Harkness long enough to for them to regain their son and earn his trust and love so that they could once again become a family.

A childish pout graced the Time Lord's face as he crossed his arms over his chest and stuck out his lower lip. "Fine, I'll try and be nice to Ianto's mate but the rest of his team is up for grabs," he conceded grudgingly. “So don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With an indulgent pat on the arm and a kiss to his cheek, Morgana accepted Koschie’s terms. "That’s fine, dear; you may play with his friends, all except Toshiko Sato. Ianto is rather fond of her and she will be the first one to reach out to Ianto after the unpleasant debacle with the Cyberwoman posing as Lisa Hallett." Morgana had already foreseen the vital role Toshiko Sato would play in her son’s life in the years to come. She rather liked the young Japanese woman and when she brought Ianto a cup of coffee when he returned from his suspension, her place in Morgana’s heart was set.

The sorceress firmly believed that Tosh was exceptionally brilliant, her intelligence far ahead of her time and her talents were being wasted by and on Torchwood. If she were ever to take on an apprentice, Toshiko would be the chosen one; it was idea that Morgana tucked into the back of her mind for further consideration later on. "If we can secure her loyalty I think she would be a fine additional guard as well as a wonderful friend for Ianto."

"Yes, Toshiko Sato will be spared but the other two are fair game; I do not care for that snarky medic's callous treatment of Ianto or the way that tart moons over the freak," the Master snarled. He may not like Jack but his son clearly did so he refused to allow some slutty woman to sink her devious claws into someone who clearly didn't belong to her.

A hiss of displeasure escaped Morgana's lips. She had disliked Gwen the moment she saw her; the former police constable wore the face of the woman who so long ago had brought chaos and death to Camelot. That malicious woman, self-deluded into thinking she was vitally important to the scheme of things, had brought such sorrow to Morgana, back at a time when the sorceress still had those she cared about and who in return cared for her.

"There is a darkness around her,” Morgana's lips curled into a snarl as she glared at Gwen's image, “one that has touched all of her line for a thousand years and tainted her soul over time. The only one who sees it, the only one who is not seduced by her evil, is our son. Do you not see why he doesn't get close to her? It is not just because she is panting like an animal in heat after his mate."

Leaning forward the Master brushed a kiss on his wife forehead. "She shall be yours to deal with as you wish, my wife, I promise you."

"Thank you, my love, I will make her suffer," Morgana vowed; she was already making her plans.

Morgana and the Master had been forced to stand by and do nothing as Ianto's life before he met Jack was laid out before them. They railed and screamed with impotent rage when Torchwood One fell and they watched helplessly as their son barely escaped capture when the Cybermen were on their desperate conversion drive. Morgana wept openly as Ianto crawled through the mutilated bodies and burning wreckage to rescue his girlfriend, Lisa, and at one point their TARDIS had to lock them in to stop them from rushing out to their son's aid. The TARDIS wasn’t immune to her beloved child’s suffering, and preventing his parents from saving him was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do, even though it caused her soul to ache. She simply could not allow them to change an event set in time, no matter how much they longed to.

Together, they watched as Ianto tried desperately to gain access to Torchwood Cardiff, and the Master snarled and threatened Jack several gruesome forms of death when the immortal threatened to roll over Ianto with his SUV. His glare only grew deeper and more menacing when the two men worked together to capture Myfanwy and one could have cut the sexual tension between the two men with a knife. A true father, the Master was absolutely disgusted to see Jack pawing at and panting over his son.

The next big challenge to staying put and not interfering came when they watched as their son was thrown like a rag doll by the creature wearing the face of the woman he thought he loved. It took all the Master's power and influence over his wife to keep Morgana in check and twice he had to duck out of the way as sparks of fury literally flew from her fingertips and singed the furniture. As much as he would love to have unleashed his wife's rage on all those who hurt their precious Ianto, their TARDIS gently reminded them that these were set events and they absolutely could not be changed.

*********

But perhaps the most tortuous moments came when Torchwood left the familiar environs of Cardiff for the wilds of the Brecon Beacons. Jack, determined not to show favouritism, had sent Ianto off with Toshiko rather than keep the inexperienced field agent at his side. The nearly omnipotent couple had no choice but to watch as a band of inbred sadistic humans tied up their son and then proceeded to beat him senseless – tenderising, they called it. This time even the TARDIS found it next to impossible to remain still; she wanted desperately to rescue her child.

"Tell they have been taken care of?" Morgana hissed out as she glared savagely at the cannibals who had dared to try and _eat_ her son. Despite the thousands of places she and the Master had visited on their travels through the universe, she’d never, _ever_ encountered anything as sadistic as a race of sentient beings that deliberately cooked and consumed their own kind. It was the most revolting and horrifying thing she’d ever seen.

"Oh yes,” a dark grin of satisfaction twisted the Master's features into an ugly mask. “I wonder how they tasted to the hungry people in the homeless shelters?" It had been a rather glorious revenge chopping into the bodies of the bastards who’d wanted to serve his son as their dinner. Making them into dinner for as many shelters and soup kitchens he could find seemed the most fitting disposition for such vile creatures.

The fact that supplying such a generous bounty of free food to those less fortunate was good for his image really was sheer coincidence; after all, he _was_ running for Prime Minster and looking out for the little people was seen by all as a very good thing.

"Good." Morgana would have rather turned them to dust and then ground that beneath her heel, but in retrospect, her husband’s imaginative solution seemed a far more fitting punishment. “Thank you, Koschei,” and then she kissed him until his toes curled.

*********

The Master's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he studied Bilis Manger; it was rare for anyone but a Time Lord to have the power to travel through time and this man was definitely not a Time Lord.

It was Morgana who provided the basic explanation, as unsatisfactory as it was. "He stinks of old, dark magic, the power he possesses is not his own but of someone much darker." Despite using her best efforts and employing the vast knowledge of the TARDIS to discover whose magic Manger was using, the answer evaded her; it was just too deeply entombed in the mists of ancient time.

Morgana’s answer proved to be right when their son and his team were tricked into opening the Rift and unleashing Manger's master, the demon Abaddon, a creature from before time. Despite his feelings towards Jack, the Master was pleased and inordinately grateful when the immortal took the bloody Cooper woman with him to face the monster. While Morgana and the Master were glad that their son was saved the horror of seeing the man he loved endure such an agonising death, it was also a mistake. It was clear that Jack’s choice caused Gwen to think herself special but anyone could see that it was because she was the most expandable member of the team.

"Has that woman no shame? She has no right to act like the grieving widow, our son should be there!" Morgana growled at the viewing screen as she watched Gwen take Ianto's rightful spot in sitting next to Jack. The woman who had nearly destroyed the world to bring back the lover she continually cheated on chose to be selfish and ignore her teammate’s feelings. She deluded herself into believing that she was the only one with rights to Jack's time.

Morgana buried her face in her husband’s neck while CCTV recorded video of their son crying broken-heartedly into Jack's great coat. "I think someone should inform Rhys Williams of his girlfriend's actions these last few months, don't you agree?" Morgana glanced up at the TARDIS thoughtfully and then smiled as she felt the TARDIS’ immediate agreement wash over her.

"My dear, that is positively evil! I am so proud of you." The Master enjoyed this vindictive side of Morgana when it came out to play. Gwen Cooper's cruel and selfish actions had caused their son untold pain; it seemed only fitting that they make her feel the same pain but tenfold and then some. What better way to accomplish that than by destroying her so-called happy relationship. "Can you really break the Retcon?" He may not have had any respect for Jack himself, but the man’s successful tweaking of the Retcon formula had been rather brilliant.

Morgana shot her husband a long-suffering look. "Please, husband, do not insult me. Their Retcon is no match for my magic; all it does is bury the memories not erase them. A simple spell will remove the chemical blocks and let Mr Williams remember everything; it was a very low dosage that she gave him, so it will be very easy. That will be the perfect end of her perfect little world because while he may be able to forgive the cheating what person could forgive being drugged and made to forget such a thing?"

*********

The Master groaned as he caught sight of what was now on the TARDIS’ screen. She kept a running display of CCTV footage from Torchwood Threeand the Master found himself scowling every time he stumbled upon Ianto with Jack. The insane Time Lord made a face at the sight of his son passionately locking lips with Jack. "Do we really need to see this part?" he asked in a whinging tone. 

Morgana couldn't help but roll her eyes at her husband's childish behaviour. _'And soon there will be two of them.'_ The powerful sorceress couldn't help but compare the Master and Jack's bouts of childishness it would be interesting to see how they would get along. "There, it's over." She pointed to the screen, which showed Jack and Ianto dashing out the Hub’s cog door on their way to a Weevil sighting.

While it had taken quite some time to accomplish, the TARDIS had indeed caught them both up to speed on their son’s adult life and the couple sat back, relieved that it was over, only for both of them to growl when Jack left to chase after the Doctor.

"Well, time to get this party started. Tell me, my dear, how do you feel about being the wife of the new Prime Minster of Great Britain and eventually Queen of the world?" the Master asked clapping his hands together gleefully.

Morgana couldn't help but smile indulgently at the bright, eager and hopeful expression on her husband's face. “That sounds wonderful, Koschei. It won't take long to have them all under our influence humans are rather primitive, weak-minded fools."

The Master grinned with evil excitement; they were finally getting to the good part of his plan. "Wonderful!” He linked Morgana’s hand around his arm gallantly. “I think this calls for a celebration, don’t you?”


	4. Chapter 4

Ianto Jones had a feeling that he was being watched, an odd, twitchy sensation right between his shoulder blades. It wasn't the nasty, pervy kind of feeling like when he was ten, playing in a youth rugby league and the coach had spent far too much time in the locker room ‘helping’ the pre-pubescent boys change into their uniforms.  Neither was it the feeling of love and protection he felt when Jack was watching him whenever he was within sight or on the CCTV when he wasn’t. Knowing that Jack always had an eye on him had made Ianto feel warm, safe and truly cared for.

No, this was a different feeling altogether; it brought with it vague flashes of long-forgotten memories of an older man and woman, a wonderful, magical house, and strange, exotic places. Ianto was sure that he had felt something like that a long time ago and he liked it very much; it made him feel special. Whenever he found a spare moment to think about it, the sensation brought a smile to his face.

"Oi, Tea-Boy! Hurry up! These Weevils aren't going to catch themselves!" Owen snapped angrily from behind him. Ianto shook himself and gave one last, quick lance around; try as he might he still couldn't shake the feeling that no matter where he was, he was being watched.

From within the shadows, hidden from all sight by a concealing spell, Morgana and the Master shared a look and hope flared brightly within them. “Koschei, our son can sense us!” Morgana whispered with pure excitement into her husband’s ear. It was becoming evident that even though his magic had been bound by the bastards on the Gallifreyan council, some of it was leaking through the barrier and into Ianto’s consciousness.

"His magic must be what has been keeping him safe all these years," Morgana announced to her mate with great pride. It certainly explained how Ianto had managed to escape the nightmare of Canary Wharf with the few injuries he’d sustained.

The Master felt an enormous sense of grateful relief fill him; he hadn’t said anything to his wife, but he’d been afraid that his son had been forced to face the horrors of the dual invasion without any protection. “That is a good thing, is it not?” he asked his wife.

Morgana nodded her head. “Yes, my love, it is a very good thing. It means we have a chance to convince our son that what we have to say is real, for magic always recognizes magic. Most importantly, because we are mother and son, he will know in his heart that we speak only the truth.”

His parents watched with pride as Ianto cast another curious glance around the Hub as Owen yelled at him to “get your arse in gear and catch up or we’ll leave you behind!”

“We had better follow them, Koschei; I have a bad feeling something is going to happen.” Morgana could feel an ominous tugging at her gut and her maternal instinct was screaming that her son was in danger.

******

It turned out Morgana was indeed right; using the TARDIS to follow their son, they kept an eye on Ianto as the team dealt with several Weevils who were rummaging through the bins behind a Chinese restaurant. Things were going along well until Morgana realised that she could no longer see Ianto. Using magic she instantly located her son and they were shocked to see Ianto facing off alone against a rather unusually large and very aggressive male Weevil gone rogue. Ianto was doing his very best, but the creature out-weighed their son by at least twelve stone and his insane rage gave him added strength.

“Where are his teammates?” the Master snarled angrily as he watched his son grapple with the creature. “Why aren’t they helping him!?”

Using her oversized main monitor the TARDIS showed the distraught parents that the other members of Torchwood Three were successfully dealing with the main pack. On a smaller monitor the ship ran a video clip of Gwen bullying Ianto into staying behind and keeping watch, and Ianto had foolishly believed the dreadful woman. So he had allowed himself to become separated from them, remaining at the SUV, armed only with a stun gun, while they went after the Weevils.

The conniving bitch had been wrong.

Ianto had dutifully stayed behind, and had even steered a trio of ladettes staggering drunkenly away from the scene before he saw a lone Weevil on the other side of the street. He’d looked for the team for assistance, but he didn’t have time to call them; the Weevil had spotted a homeless man, sound asleep on his cardboard pallet and was headed for him, his teeth bared. Ianto immediately sprang into action, dashing across the roadway and distracting the Weevil from its hapless victim.

Despite the size and strength difference, Ianto fought valiantly until the creature deceived him and managed to get its arms around Ianto’s torso, pinning his arms in a tight hold. “No!” Two desperate cries of anguish filled the TARDIS and were echoed back to them by her as they watched the Weevil snarl viciously, bare his jagged teeth in a triumphant howl and then sink his fangs into the soft flesh of Ianto’s neck.

As she heard her son’s scream of agonising pain Morgana didn’t care anymore about remaining hidden – her only child was going to die if she didn’t act – and so the sorceress unleashed her powerful magic.

Time within the alley began to slow and it finally came to a stop just as the Weevil sank its razor-sharp teeth into his Ianto’s neck. In a bizarre parody of still life, everything was frozen in mid-action.

Blistering heat flared throughout the TARDIS as Morgana’s rage achieved its peak with the TARDIS’ own anguish echoing theirs. The grief-stricken ship wasted no time in transporting them directly to the middle of the dark Cardiff alley where Ianto hung in the Weevil’s arms like a limp ragdoll. Morgana and the Master barely waited for the TARDIS to finish landing before they flung open her doors and rushed out of their ship.

Morgana’s eyes flashed with brilliant amber light as they reached to their son’s side. “Oh, my precious baby, what have they done to you?” Morgana felt uncontrollable rage filling her again as she stroked her son’s pale cheek, hissing as her fingers encountered the heavy stream of blood on his neck. Thankfully, the Weevil’s bite had not penetrated carotid artery, but there was still an awful lot of blood frozen in place around the wound. When her fingers brushed against his cheek, she unintentionally left a trail of blood on his pale skin.

Her hated-filled eyes mirrored the wildfire coursing through her body as her heart called for his treacherous teammates to be burnt to a crisp. Tiny sparks began flying around them as her magic gathered itself to strike and the Master had to wrap an arm around his wife’s shoulders and tug her close against his body to prevent her from accidentally injuring Ianto.

“Do not worry, my love,” he murmured in a soft soothing tone; they couldn’t rescue their son until she’d calmed down a bit. “Those who sought to harm our son will be dealt with most painfully,” he vowed as he pressed a kiss onto the top of her hair.

For a brief moment Morgana accepted her husband’s embrace, allowing herself the luxury of comfort until the need to make sure their son was safe overruled her. “We must get him out of here, Koschei; I do not wish to remain in this dismal place any longer and our son should wake in comfort surrounded by loved ones and not with these ungrateful creatures.” Morgana wrinkled her nose as her eyes flashed amber again.

They had both been watching Ianto’s time among Torchwood Three for so long and were in a constant stage of frustration over the way the team, meaning Owen and most especially Gwen, treated him. Even Toshiko came in for her share of parental ire despite the fact that Morgana had a soft spot for her, but only because of her timidity and failure to step up and defend the man who called her friend. The only reason the Hub and its occupants hadn’t been levelled to a smoking hole in the ground was that Ianto truly seemed to like his so-called teammates. This and this alone stopped Morgana from completely destroying the buildings around them.

Realising his wife was sufficiently calm enough to create a spell that wouldn’t obliterate everything, including them and their son, the Master released her and stepped back. He watched with pure admiration as Morgana took a deep breath, centred herself, and then summoned magic that made a pinpoint strike and completely eliminated the Weevil’s face and  therefore its teeth while leaving Ianto safely untouched.

Before Ianto’s body had a chance to hit the floor, the Master darted forward and gently gathered his son up into his arms, cursing when he realised how thin his son was. _‘It’s no wonder, between being abandoned by the love of his life and worrying himself sick over it all the while working himself to the bone to keep Torchwood Three afloat he doesn’t have the time to look after himself.’_

Fierce determination filled the Master’s hearts; that was all going to change. As his parents, they were going to make sure that Ianto was taken care of for once and would never again see himself as a mere afterthought.  “Would you please deal with that _thing_ , my dear?” the Master glared at the Weevil.

“My pleasure.” A ball of blue fire appeared in Morgana’s hand as she moved towards the still-frozen Weevil. “You just get our son to safety.”

The Master nodded knowing that his wife had everything well in hand and as he moved toward their ship with his precious son in his arms, he felt a sudden blast of heat scorching his back. “Well that’s one less Weevil to worry about and it will serve as a warning to others,” the Master commented to Ianto’s still form. Morgana had left him in suspended animation to prevent him from bleeding out before he got to the TARDIS’ medical bay. Normally as ruthless as the rogue Weevil who’d attacked Ianto, Koschei felt a surprising burn of tears in his eyes as he looked down on his son.

Once upon a time Ianto had been a bright young child with a brilliant life ahead of him, the living embodiment of every parent’s most fervent wish for their child. As the son of a Time Lord and an ultra-powerful sorceress his future had been assured; he would one day rule all of time and space. Now he was bone-thin, exhausted and nearly broken with dark circles under his eyes and skin so pale the Master thought he might actually be bloodless.

When time began moving again Ianto Jones was gone, vanished without a trace, and the Weevil that had attacked him was nothing more than a pile of ashes. When the Torchwood team returned to their SUV and discovered Ianto missing Tosh had immediately initiated a search of the area and when that turned up nothing, she was able to track his last known location using his still-active comm link. Finally, when the team arrived in the dank, trash-filled alley they found that the only clues their Tea-Boy had ever been there were his comm and his stun gun left behind in the dust.

******

Inside the welcoming safety of their TARDIS, Morgana gently stroked Ianto’s hair as the Master tended to his wounds. “You know that they are going to look for our son until they find him, especially Toshiko; she is a very loyal if not shy friend,” Morgana pointed out softly. She couldn’t take her eyes off Ianto; the fact that she was actually touching her son’s face rather than his image frozen on the monitor was overwhelming.

A sharp, derisive snort escaped the Master clearly stating his opinion on just what he thought of their so-called investigative skills. “Oh don’t you worry, my dear, I have something in mind to get them out of our way.” His smile held a distinctively sinister note; whatever the Master had planned, he was going to enjoy what he had in store for them.

Morgana looked away from her son’s beautiful face just long enough to roll her eyes fondly at her husband. Koschei was at his best when he was in an evil plotting mood and she almost felt sorry for the Torchwood team. Almost. “Just remember you can’t damage them too badly, after all Miss Gwen I’m-so-terribly-important-Cooper is all mine and I firmly believe that Toshiko will have a place in our new world,” she reminded him firmly.

A pout graced the insane Time Lord’s face; he had been so looking forward to having his fun with the entire team. “Fine, I won’t do them any _lasting_ harm, not until the time is right,” he agreed with reluctance.

“And don’t forget, Koschei,” the sorceress fixed her husband with a firm look. “I know that he is immortal but still, do not damage Ianto’s precious Captain Jack too badly. I do not want anything to upset our son while he is recovering.”

The Master let out a long, deep and highly exaggerated sigh that was supposed to indicate his long-suffering patience with his wife. Unfortunately, Morgana thought it merely made him sound like a tea kettle letting off steam and her highly amused albeit brief giggle actually brought a slightly embarrassed but happy smile to the man’s face. “You know I can never refuse you anything, my love,” he nodded graciously.

“That’s all I ask, dear.” Morgana glanced down at Ianto. _‘I really hope you take after me in your maturity, my beloved, but given what we’ve seen of your life as a human, I am afraid that you are far too mature for your young years. If we were still on Gallifrey, you would still be considered a child.”_

Because of a Time Lord’s extended life span, Gallifreyan children weren’t considered adults until they achieved at eighty-five years of life, so at a mere twenty-four, Ianto was still far, far too young to have endured the trials and tribulations that he had survived. It broke Morgana’s heart that her family would never know the happiness that they had longed for, that they deserved. It was truly a bitter pill to swallow that the Gallifreyan council had stolen her son’s heritage from him and if they weren’t already gone, Morgana Le Fay would have destroyed each and every one of them as slowly and as agonisingly slowly as was magically possible.

During the few short years they’d been together, Koschei had loved to spend hours sitting quietly with his wife and later with their newborn son, telling her stories of life on the Time Lord’s home world. It had been his deepest wish that he could raise Ianto blessed by the sheer beauty of his ancestral home, that his son would grow up steeped in the knowledge and lore of Gallifrey. But alas, it was not to be, and that loss and the pain Koschei felt because of it remained locked away in the back of Morgana’s mind.

Returning her attention to her son, Morgana dipped a soft flannel in warm water and began to wash the dried blood from his body. Yes, she could have done it instantly with her magic, but at the moment she was a mother tending to her child; there was no place for magic in that world. Unexpectedly, tears filled her eyes; _‘Oh my sweet baby boy,_ _you were forced to grow up far too fast but I promise you, things are about to change and I will do everything possible to ensure that you will be happy at last. Even though your father dislikes him I will make sure he comes around from wishing to kill your Jack to even perhaps liking him.’_ Morgana knew that day was a very long way off but still, she had a little bit of hope and she wanted to share it with Ianto.

“I wonder how your thoughtless team is taking your disappearance,” Morgana mused out loud.

******

“Oh, this is just bloody great! We lost the damn Tea-Boy! Well, it’s a good thing Jack _is_ gone otherwise we’d all be dead.” Owen grumbled under his breath as if it wasn’t bad enough their fearless leader had taken off now they were going to have to make their own coffee. 

From her work station paused where she was scanning the CCTV footage around the area of Ianto’s disappearance, Tosh stopped the tape and turned to give Owen a nasty glare. “This is serious, Owen, Ianto’s been taken by something clearly very powerful.” She couldn’t understand how Owen could joke about something like this; it was bad enough that Jack was gone but from what they had managed to uncover Jack chose to leave them. She really didn’t think it was the same for Ianto. _‘Where are you, Ianto? I hope you’re safe.’_

*******

It hadn’t been an easy decision but after much soul-searching and consultation with the TARDIS’ extensive medical library, both the Master and Morgana agreed to keep Ianto under light sedation until their plans were complete. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to have their son finding out what they had in store and trying to stop him, and although they knew that Ianto wouldn’t see that what they were doing was for his own good, the parents knew they were right.

They would give Ianto anything his heart desired and as much as it set the Master’s teeth on edge, it would seem that his heart was set on Jack Harkness. The Master ran his hand through his son's hair. "Don't worry, my boy, I will make sure you have whatever you want and if that means bringing you the freak then so be it." He pressed a kiss onto his son’s forehead before he joined his wife; they trusted their TARDIS implicitly to keep him safe until it was time to unveil their new kingdom.

“Now let’s go win ourselves a country and then a world!” The Master stated gleefully with an insane grin on his face as he offered Morgana his arm.

“Let’s,” Morgana agree slipping her arm into her husband’s before directing her gaze up onto the ceiling; “please keep our precious bundle safe until the time is ready.”

They felt their TARDIS’ agreement wash over them; they knew nothing would happen to their son, he was the safest he could be in her arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Appearing in that alleyway Jack, Martha and the Doctor stumbled as they shook off the effects of transporting through time and space back to Cardiff.

“Right! First order of business is to find the Master before he can get himself into trouble,” the Doctor declared once he was sure his companions were okay and not suffering too badly from the after-effects of travelling through the vortex without a TARDIS. _‘It’s so much easier with my TARDIS, none of this nasty space sickness, who wants to travel like this?’_ The Doctor made a distasteful face as his stomach suddenly and unpleasantly gave a protesting lurch. He carefully hid his belly’s distress from Jack and Martha; _‘gotta make it look easy for the amateurs, after all.’_

Jack felt a familiar longing, one he had tried so hard to ignore, he had to go and make sure Ianto was okay. After what that deranged Time Lord had said about Ianto being his son Jack needed to see with his own eyes that Ianto was okay. The problem, the big problem, the _huge_ problem was he didn’t know how to check on Ianto and the others without alerting the Doctor to just who he was working with now. While Jack was contemplating his reunion with Ianto, the Doctor and Martha were having a discussion of their own.

“When he spoke inside the TARDIS, I’ve swear I’ve heard that voice hundreds of times,” Martha explained. It really was bothering her, a sensation tickling at the back of her mind but she just couldn’t pull it out; she _knew_ she recognised the man’s voice she just couldn’t place where she’d heard it before.

“Well I say that an alleyway is no place to think, so let’s go see if there’s a chip shop nearby, I’m absolutely craving some.” The Doctor knew he’d always thought better on a full stomach and believing that humans were the same, he led his companions out of the alley.

As Jack moved quickly to catch up to the Doctor, Martha found herself dawdling behind for a moment as her gaze drifted over to the ‘Vote Saxon’ posters that were still on display everywhere – on the sides of buildings, on the trash skip, on the lamp posts. “We missed the election!” Martha’s dismay was quite obvious; she’d really hoped they hadn’t because she wanted, no, needed – she _really needed –_ to vote for Saxon. It was a compelling an urge as breathing, sleeping and eating. _‘There’s just something about his voice,’_ she smiled at the memory, _‘it’s so soothing and reassuring, like nothing bad could ever happen and makes me want to vote for him but…’_

Again there was that niggling feeling in the back of her mind, the same one she’d felt back in Dr Yana’s lab but this time, as she closed her eyes and let the thought come forward…

‘ _It sounded just like…’_

Absolute, mind-numbinghorror filled Martha as she finally figured out why the voice from inside the TARDIS sounded so familiar: It was Harold Saxon and he was the Master and she was going to vote for him. She had planned to be part of the nearly unanimous vote to make him her leader.

 “I’ve seen him!” she blurted out. “We all have!” Martha was in shock as she stared at the posters wondering how she could possibly have missed something so monumental. “Stop! Get back here, you two! It’s the Master! He’s here!”

Stopping dead in their tracks, the Doctor and Jack shared a startled look which, in the Doctor’s case anyway, held a minute element of fear, before they turned and dashed back to Martha who was staring transfixed at the fliers, a mixture of disbelief, dread and horror marring her pretty face.

“If he could actually be anyone…” Martha trailed off as she looked to the Doctor for guidance. The look in her eyes said, “Please tell me I’m wrong, please?”

A sound they’d not heard before caught their attention; they glanced around curiously and noticed people everywhere were drumming out a weird rhythm with their fingers. No one appeared to realise they were doing it, but no matter where they looked, there wasn’t a single person who hadn’t joined in the bizarre chorus. The trio looked back at one another and in the same instant a horrible realisation settled in.

Out on the main street, a giant screen mounted to the side of a building was showing the news. “Mr Saxon has returned from what is sure to have been a successful meeting with the Palace and is now greeting the crowd inside Saxon’s Headquarters,” the news reporter’s well-modulated voice informed the enthralled masses.

Jack felt a sick sensation filling his heart. “Every time we talked he always made sure to bring Ianto up; I was so sure he was trying to steal him away to work for him,” Jack muttered under his breath as he realised just how much danger his lover was truly in.

The Master appeared onscreen waving jovially at the assembled crowds outside Downing Street and the Doctor stared in utter disbelief. “That’s him. He’s Prime Minister.” The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and looked panicked; this was _so_ not good. “The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain.” He gaped even more as a brunette woman appeared beside Saxon. “The Master and his _wife_ ,” he said in surprise, his voice comically going up an octave when he saw the woman standing next to him.

Because that was no ordinary woman who’d come to stand proudly beside Britain’s newly-elected Prime Minister. It was Morgana La Fey herself, one of the most powerful wizards to ever live. He had met her a few times along his life line; well her, Arthur and Merlin himself. _‘Really, the legends got it all wrong when it came to the true nature of the relationship between Arthur and Merlin, and Morgana wasn’t always evil. If someone had taken the time to reach out to her when she was crying out for help things might have gone so much differently for her.’_

Hand-in-hand the Master and Morgana stepped forward to speak to the press. “This country has been sick. This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that what this country _really_ needs, right now… is a doctor,” he finished with a maniacal grin, one that was echoed by oh-so-proudly by Morgana.

As the Master looked through the camera lens and directly into her eyes, Martha stagger over to the nearby bench and took a seat knowing that her legs could no longer support her. After watching the assembled throngs slowly drift away from the viewing screen, Jack and the Doctor quickly followed her. As they too sat down, they realised that Martha was speaking aloud, although they weren’t sure whether it was to her or to them. “It’s so weird though, it’s the day after the election, that’s only four days after I met you.” She finally looked up at the Doctor, seeking reassurance, an explanation, _something_ , from the Time Lord.

“We went flying all around the universe while he was here the whole time.” With fatal certainty, the Doctor confirmed what both Martha and Jack had been thinking.

The young woman’s face suddenly paled dramatically. “What about my family? Are they in any danger, he knows I’m travelling with you.” Martha asked her fear for her family showing in her eyes and in the slight squeak to her voice.

Jack ran his hand through his hair anxiously, leaving it standing on end more so than usual. “And what about Ianto? How much danger is he in? Because the Master _certainly_ knows who he is.” Jack wasn’t about to leave Ianto unprotected, but he wasn’t sure it was a good idea to go to him either. Torn by indecision, he placed a comforting hand on Martha’s shoulder and felt her lean into his hold.

The Doctor didn’t notice the emotional turmoil of his companions as he began pacing back and forth in front of them. “I need a laptop or a computer; I need to figure out what he’s doing.”

“Doctor, he’s been around for years. He has a solid history and a website that shows it all,” Jack informed the Time Lord.

“And everybody knows about his and Morgana’s love story; they’re one of the most popular couples in all of Britain. My sister even has a copy of the special edition magazine detailing their storybook relationship and extravagant wedding,” Martha added. “They’re like the Charles and Diana of our generation, except with a happier ending. My little cousin goes to school with three girls all named Morgana!”

“There’s no way he should have been able to do all of that, it’s just not possible.” The Doctor continued to mutter under his breath; even though it didn’t look like it, he really was listening to Jack and Martha while his mighty brain processed the information.

“He’s got a TARDIS. Maybe the Master went back in time and has been living here for decades?” Jack reasoned but his thoughts were mostly dominated by worry over Ianto and whether or not the clearly insane people from Downing Street had found him yet. _'If you've hurt him in any way nothing will stop me from ripping you apart with my bare hands.'_

“No,” the Doctor quickly shot back with absolute certainty. “No.”

“Why not? Worked for me,” Jack pointed out.

“When he was stealing the TARDIS, the only thing I could do was fuse the coordinates. I locked them permanently,” the Doctor explained, nodding his head looking rather extraordinarily pleased with himself. “He can only travel between the year one trillion and the last place the TARDIS landed, which is right here, right now.”

“And there has to be some leeway, yes?” Jack asked with a knowing look. The day the Doctor got his timing on the nose was the day the Universe imploded!

“Well… eighteen months, tops. The most he could have been here is eighteen months. So how has he managed all this? The Master was always sort of… hypnotic, but this is on a massive scale,” the Doctor mused contemplatively. Something wasn't right, he could feel it in his bones; it was clear he was missing something, but what could it be?

"He mentioned a son; could that be why he's here? Because it looks like he’s found his wife," Martha asked because if that brunette was his wife then they needed to find the couple’s son before they did.

The Doctor looked grave. "If that _is_ his wife then we are in very deep trouble."

"Why? Who is she, Doctor?" Martha prodded the worried Time Lord for details.

"Because she is no ordinary human; she is Morgana herself from the legends of King Arthur and Merlin. As dangerous as she is by herself she is not half as dangerous as the two of them are together and as a couple, with their combined powers, they are nearly unstoppable. Jack, we have to find your Ianto before they do. He's the whole reason the Master wanted all this to happen." The Doctor looked sadly at Jack; he’d always hated being the bearer of bad tidings, especially when it concerned a friend’s loved one.

With his jaw tightly clenched Jack glared belligerently at the Doctor. "My Ianto is one of the kindest souls to ever live and there is no way he's related to those monsters! It just can't be possible, Doc. No way." Jack wouldn't believe that someone as sweet and wonderful as Ianto could be related to them in any way.

The Doctor just shook his head. "If the Gallifreyan council hid him from his parents and locked away his Time Lord essences then I have no doubt your Ianto _is_ a kind soul but Jack, you must accept that there is a chance he could be the son of the Master and Morgana. If they already know where he is, then he will be harder to get to than the Crown Jewels.”

In his heart, he had no doubt whatsoever that they wouldn’t have Ianto securely guarded which meant that their only chance was to get to him _before_ they did. But, given what the Master had managed to do in just eighteen months the Doctor wasn’t holding out much hope. But he didn’t want to discourage Jack; it was obvious that Ianto meant the world to him.

“So where can we find this Ianto of yours?”

With a sinking heart, Jack knew that there was no more avoiding it, he had to tell the Doctor the truth of who he was working for. _‘He’s not going to like this,’_ Jack thought with true sadness. The Time Lord was one of the few people in the universe who Jack honestly looked up to and whose respect he deeply wished to earn and keep. He was afraid that once the Doctor learned of his long-standing association with Queen Victoria's anti-alien, anti-Time Lord Torchwood Institute.

Not that he could blame the Doctor, actually; he’d held the same attitude towards Torchwood One himself until the events with that _thing_ in the basement. He’d spent time one-on-one with Ianto during his month-long suspension and Ianto had revealed that part of the reason he felt he couldn’t tell Jack about Lisa was the fact that neither he or Owen had made any attempts to hide their intense dislike of Torchwood One and its leadership.

Add to that the fact that the men firmly believed that One got what they had coming to them, both forgetting that Ianto lost everyone that day, so why would he trust Jack and the others with Lisa. They’d made it crystal clear that they had no sympathies whatsoever towards any of those who lost their lives and would no doubt have even less for someone in Lisa’s dire predicament. Jack had never felt so guilty as he did at that moment listening to how he had degraded those Ianto cared about. It had taken a lot of hard work on Jack’s part and a lot of forgiveness and acceptance from Ianto for them to repair their relationship.

What worried Jack at the moment was how the Doctor was going to react if he learned that Ianto had been at Torchwood One, especially during the Canary Wharf debacle. As much as Jack cared about the Doctor there was no way in hell he was ever going to let the Time Lord blame Ianto for the deadly horrors that Yvonne Hartmann had brought down on her people.

It had taken a while but through many, many hours of talking with and listening to Ianto, Jack had finally realised that not everyone at Torchwood One was as corrupt as Yvonne had been. True, many of her sycophants had blindly believed in her dream of restoring the British Empire to its earlier Victorian Era glory, a magical time when the sun never set on her shores, but others, like Ianto, knew that Britain’s heyday was to be found only in history books. Nor did Ianto have the same “if it’s alien it’s ours” way of thinking that had guided every moment of Yvonne’s disastrous reign, but the Doctor had lost Rose during the Battle of Canary Wharf and during this last stint of travel with the Time Lord, Jack had realised that the man hadn’t gotten over that loss and probably never would.

Jack also knew that even if it were unintentional on the Doctor’s part, Ianto would be a perfect outlet for the Time Lord’s long-buried rage. Sucking in a deep breath and summoning his courage, Jack turned to his long-time friend and said, “Doc, there’s something I need to tell you; it’s who I work for.”

The Doctor knew immediately from Jack’s tone of voice that he wasn’t going to like this at all. “All right, Jack, tell me,” he ordered sternly.

“Not here.” Crossing his arms over his chest Jack shook his head. “If Harold Saxon really is the Master and he’s looking for Ianto, I’m not about to give him a huge clue as to where to find him.” He simply could not put Ianto in any more danger than he already was in.

“You really care about this young man of yours, don’t you?” The Doctor never thought he would see the day when Jack Harkness, a man of nearly mythological sexual exploits, would settle down with just one person, but it would seem that this Ianto had done the impossible and tamed the great Captain Jack.

A soft smile graced Jack’s face and filled his eyes with a tenderness the Doctor had never seen from him before. “Yeah, I do. I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t always treated him the way I should have, and more often than not I’ve take him for granted but that’s all going to change here and now. The idea of him being in mortal danger from these two lunatics has forced me to admit just how I feel about him.”

Jack knew now that Ianto had never been the fall-back because he couldn’t have Gwen. The Welshman was the only one he wanted, the only one who’s mere presence made his heart sing with joy, and he planned on making sure Ianto knew just how much he cared about him once this was all over.

“There’s a computer at my place, we could show the Doctor the Harold Saxon website and talk there,” Martha suggested. _‘And I can change my clothes, call my mum and have a cup of tea!’_

Jack shook his head immediately; there was a good chance that the Master had it under watch. “No, it’s too dangerous; the Master probably has eyes on it. No, if they haven’t found them yet, then there is someone who could help us.”

******

A rather colourful Japanese curse fell from Toshiko Sato’s dainty lips as she glared at her beloved computer; once again her never-ending search for Ianto had come back with negative results. She was only thankful that Owen was nowhere around; he and Gwen had departed Cardiff two days before under orders from the new Prime Minster to go to Tibet. Tosh had absolutely refused when Gwen ordered her to come with them; she tried to point out to Gwen they were above the law and that they didn’t take orders from anyone but the Queen.

Gwen harboured a secret hope that if Jack never returned to Cardiff, she would take his place as the leader of Torchwood Three, and therefore she’d refused to disobey Harold Saxon, declaring that Tosh could as she pleased, but she was going to Tibet. With an entire litany of snarky, even rude comments about pushy women and numerous grunts of displeasure, Owen had finally stocked a med bag and gone along to make sure she stayed alive. Rather than saying good-bye to Tosh when she’d finally left the Hub, Gwen had stopped by Tosh’s desk to say that they would be discussing her insubordinate attitude up in her office when she got back.

“ _Her_ office? When did Jack’s office become hers? I still don’t understand why Gwen thinks she’s our leader,” Tosh muttered under her breath. Neither she nor Owen liked that Gwen had simply taken control of the Hub when it was glaringly obvious that Ianto was the one who had been keeping everything running smoothly. He’d successfully kept UNIT, Her Majesty and the local law enforcement agencies happy and out of their hair, while Owen was doing a surprising splendid job of leading them in the field.

So when Gwen had so haughtily ordered her to suspend her search for Ianto, saying, “You’re wasting your time looking for that loser, Tosh. Without Jack to moon over and to cover for him, it’s obvious he’s turned coward and run off somewhere. If we’re lucky, maybe he’ll top himself and stop being a burden on the world,” Tosh had had enough.

Slapping her hand down on her desk and standing up so sharply that her chair had rolled away and banged into the far railing, Toshiko Sato had promptly told the Welshwoman ‘no’. “I don’t know who you think you are, Gwen Cooper, but Ianto Jones is not only a valued member of Torchwood, he is my friend and I do _not_ treat my friends like pieces of shit!” Tosh was so angry that her words spat out like shrapnel. “That man has waited on you hand and foot, catering to your every stupid, demeaning demand without comment.”

Drawn by the noise, Owen had abandoned his packing and was standing at the top of the autopsy bay steps, watching the proceedings with great interest. In spite of himself, he had to admit that with fire flashing from her eyes, Tosh was actually a little bit of all right.

Unused to Tosh displaying a backbone and unprepared for her to defend Ianto so vigorously, Gwen could only gape at her with her mouth hanging open.

 “…and furthermore, I am staying right here trying to find Ianto which is much more important than running off on some wild goose chase just so I can impress some pompous politician!” Toshiko’s heart was pounding in her chest and there was a slight tremor to her hands when she finished, but as she caught a quick glance at Owen’s face, she would have sworn there was actually a look of admiration in his eyes. Minutes later, Gwen had slunk out of the Hub without a second glance in Tosh’s direction, unable to think of a single word to say after her well-deserved dressing down.

Pulled from her thoughts by the loud and insistent beeping on one of her monitors Tosh dashed down the stairs from the kitchenette and across Hub, her boot steps clattering loudly in the empty room. Hooking her chair under her with her foot, she plonked herself down and pulled up one of many the programs and search engines she kept running on a continuous basis. Her eyebrows lifted and met her hairline as the facial recognition software found an answer, although it wasn’t the one for Ianto but the program for Jack. A true smile graced her face, the first one in days since Ianto went missing. “Oh thank goodness!” Jack would know what to do and for the first time since Ianto disappeared, Tosh felt hope and if that weren’t enough good news, her personal email pinged alerting her to an incoming message. Only three people had that particular address, Jack, Ianto and her grandfather, and she really didn’t think it was from him. This left Jack and Ianto…

…but after reading the message that Jack sent her Tosh felt her blood run cold. “I knew he was too good to be true! Oh, Owen, Gwen, I hope you two are safe.” She prayed to every deity she could think of to keep an eye on her friends and bring them home in one piece. Then a more pressing problem presented itself to her:

“How am I to tell Jack that Ianto’s missing?”


	6. Chapter 6

Jack would be the first to admit that he was nervous to see his team again, especially after leaving without so much as a howdy-do. But the real fear in his heart, the real joy there as well, was that he was going to see Ianto again and he was going to have to explain himself to his long-suffering Welshman. They would be well within their rights to never speak to him again and he had a feeling that Gwen would most likely get a punch in just to make a point, but what he truly worried about was that Ianto would turn his back and refuse to have anything to do with him.

“Jack, would you please stop pacing; you’re giving me a headache!” the Doctor snapped irritably as Jack made yet another turn about the corner where they’d set up temporary camp.

Martha sighed, she didn't want the two of them start fighting again; both men had been on edge since they’d arrived at the Warehouse mostly because Jack refused to give them any answers, not until whoever he was waiting for arrived.

"I can't help it, Doc; my team may be in danger! I know Tosh and she clearly wasn't telling me something." What Jack himself wasn't saying was that he was worried sick as to why Ianto wasn't answering the phones. Jack had stopped at payphones twice along their route to the warehouse, dialing both Ianto’s mobile and the phone in the Tourist Information Centre; the calls had gone unanswered. _'Please, please let my Ianto be safe, do not let them have gotten their claws into him already.'_

"Jack? Are you here?" A soft female voice called out from the darkness.

Right before their eyes the Doctor and Martha watched as Jack underwent a dramatic change; his eyes perked up and the first smile since this mess all started appeared on Jack's face as he bounced happily towards the woman who was slowly making her way towards them. "Toshiko!" Jack’s voice echoed in the empty building, startling bevy of pigeons into flights.

Watching the woman step forward into a shaft of light, the Doctor narrowed his eyes in concentration. "She looks so familiar," he mumbled under his breath; there was something about her and it was tugging at the back of his mind.

The sound of her name was the only warning Tosh got before Jack scooped her up in his arms, gave her a huge bear hug and twirled her around in a wide circle. “Oh, I have missed you!” he grinned madly.

"Jack, put me down!" Tosh commanded as she gently whacked her boss on the shoulder; while she had missed him, this wasn't the time for such a reunion.

"I'm sorry, Tosh, but I’m just so happy to see you," Jack informed her with a cheeky grin before flicking his eyes over her shoulder, looking for the others. "Where's Ianto?” The eager hopefulness in his eyes was evident as he looked around again, but when he turned back to Tosh and saw her eyebrow raised questioningly, he quickly added, “And Owen and Gwen as well?"

_'I knew it!’_ Tosh crowed silently. _‘I was right, there is so much more to Jack and Ianto's relationship than they show us,'_ she thought a little bit smugly. But those thoughts died an instant death when she realised what she was about to tell Jack. "Gwen and Owen are in Tibet chasing a Yeti under the orders of our new Prime Minster."

It didn't escape Tosh's notice that Jack and his two friends, whom he had yet to introduce to her Tosh would like to add, shared a wary and concerned look between them. "What? What am I missing, Jack?"

Jack shook his head. "I'll get you caught up in a moment, Tosh, because you still haven't answered my question: where's Ianto?" He crossed his arms over his chest; the fact that his normally truthful Toshiko had cleverly changed the subject and completely skipped telling him where Ianto was.

  _‘Something_ _is_ _wrong.’_ The flood of ice cold blood that surged through his veins froze Jack in place as he watched Tosh flick her eyes away from Jack and refuse to look at him. "Tosh, please! What's going on? What aren't you telling me? Where's Ianto?" A sense of dread unlike anything he’d ever known before filled Jack, nearly stopping his heart. _'Please don't let me be too late.'_

"I don't know where Ianto is, Jack. We went out to deal with a couple of our regulars," Tosh said using their code when talking about Weevils in mixed company, "and Gwen ordered Ianto to stay back and keep an eye out on an alleyway. When we were done and got back to the SUV Ianto was nowhere to be seen. We searched the area but all we found were Ianto's stun gun and comm. There was no sign of him, it's just like he disappeared!”

Tosh reached out and gripped Jack’s arm tightly, and he was sure he could see tears shining in her dark eyes. “I swear I've looked nonstop for him, Jack, really I have but there's just no sign of him." More than she thought possible, Tosh needed Jack to believe that she had done and was still doing everything in her power to find Ianto.

The devastation and guilt were clear in Tosh's eyes and Jack pulled her into a comforting hug. "I know you did, Tosh, I know you did. I couldn’t be sure before now, but I think I know where Ianto is and if I'm right he's in real danger," Jack whispered into her hair. _‘Oh, Ianto, I’m so sorry! I’ve let you down again!’_ Jack’s heart wept into the darkness. _‘But I swear I will come for you; I will bring you home again.’_

Pulling away from Jack, Tosh looked up at him with pure fear shining in her eyes and Jack knew time had come to tell her everything that had happened since he left. _‘Which means telling her why I left, even though I really want to talk to Ianto about it first.’_

******

"They have arrived, which means _he's_ here," the Master declared with a distasteful look on his face, like he had just taken a bit out of an extraordinarily bitter lemon. “The _freak.”_

An amused smile tugged at Morgana's lips as she stroked her son's hair; despite their many discussions about how Ianto felt about the man, her husband still did not like Jack Harkness. "Dear, we've talked about this, you can't destroy the man our son loves.”

The all-powerful Time Lord stamped his foot like a child. “Why not?” he whinged, his lower lip sticking out petulantly.

“Well for one thing, he's immortal." Morgana’s mind was only partially on her husband; she was busy examining the healing wound on Ianto’s neck. The Weevil hadn’t damaged anything vital but its fangs had torn the flesh quite badly.

Hearing his wife’s words, the Master’s face lit up like a child seeing his gifts under the Christmas tree; the very reason Jack made the Master’s skin crawl could also mean hours and hours of fun. "Which means he would come back!” The Time Lord rubbed his hands together gleefully; it was the perfect answer! He got to enjoy himself torturing the freak but in the end, his son still got to keep the man he loved. “Can't I just kill him a few hundred times? Who would it hurt?" The Master wanted to make sure Jack knew just what would happen to him if he hurt his son again.

"No! It would hurt Ianto to know that Jack suffered and that would only make him push us away. In order to regain our son, we need to accept what's important to him and whether _you_ like it or not, Jack Harkness is at the top of the list." Morgana pointed out for the twentieth time. She understood her husband's way of thinking, really, she did; she wanted to make Jack pay dearly for hurting her son, but as sweet as it would be to get revenge it just wasn't worth the risk of losing Ianto. _‘I will not_ _miss another moment of my son’s life!’_

An ill-tempered pout twisted the Time Lord's face into an unpleasant mask as he began to stomp around Ianto’s bedroom. They’d moved Ianto to his own suite of rooms, which the TARDIS had gone to great lengths to make as comfortable as possible for her beloved Ianto; his parents weren’t the only one’s who’d missed him all those years. "That's just not fair!" the Master whined as he kicked a chair leg belligerently.  

Feeling an ill-temper of her own coming on, Morgana drew in a deep breath and concentrated on studying her son’s features. She could hardly believe her ears, sometimes her husband was such a child. "Life's not fair, dear; we've both know that all too well," she reminded her husband a little more sharply than she intended but her message got through.

Realising that he was in danger of crossing a line and earning his wife’s true ire, which past experience had taught him could be quite painful, the Master backed down. "Fine, I'll be good but one wrong move and he's dead," he growled out protectively.

"Of course, dear, that goes without saying. Now, have our other guests arrived?" Morgana asked bringing her husband's mind back to the plan at hand.

A grin of pure evil delight appeared on the Time Lord's face and his voice took on a gloating tone. "Oh yes, they've arrived. I think it's time we baited our trap don't you, my dear."

Morgana stroked face Ianto’s hair one last time. “That sounds just divine.” Bending forward she pressed a tender kiss to Ianto’s forehead. “Soon, my dear one, you will awaken to a world that will be yours, as will your mate, and those who have done you a great wrong or hurt you in any way will pay dearly,” Morgana whispered her vow before moving to join the Master. Gone was the loving mother and in her place stood the evilly wicked sorceress.

******

“So, our new Prime Minster is a Time Lord who’s insane, his wife is Morgana of Arthurian legend and they’re claiming Ianto is their son?” Tosh repeated back what Jack had just told her, her ultra-logical mind processing each detail and its implications for the world as she knew it.

Familiar with the way Tosh’s mind worked Jack nodded his head, “That would be correct,” he smiled at her fondly before crossing his arms over his chest and becoming the leader of Torchwood Three. “Now as for Ianto,” as he spoke his lover’s name, Jack felt his whole world disappear for a brief moment and he stumbled back a step in pain. His Ianto was gone, taken by the last person he ever wanted to get their hands on Ianto. “We need to get him back.” Despite phrasing his words as a firm statement, there was a definite tone of desperation and pleading in his voice and it was mirrored in his eyes.

Martha placed a comforting hand on Jack’s shoulder. “We will,” she promised before turning her attention back to the Doctor. “So what’s the plan?”

The Time Lord had a stern look in his eyes. “You two will be staying here,” he directed this firm albeit rather chauvinistic instruction at Martha and Tosh. “The only reason I’m willing to take Jack with me is because of his special skills.”

Hearing the Doctor’s unthinking words, Tosh felt something in her bristle most protectively. “Oi” she snapped sharply. “You better not be thinking of using Jack as a canon folder!" Her own words came out as a dangerous growl and her eyes flashed with warning sparks.

“No!” The Doctor raised his hands and took a step back from the irate woman; he did not like the look in her eyes, it promised pain. "Oh, no! Nothing like that, I promise, Miss Sato. I just meant that Jack is a former conman and he can use his wrist strap to get us into places that otherwise would be unavailable, and if I'm right about the depth of emotion that he shares with your Ianto he might be the only one who can get through to the young man. There is a distinct possibility that the Master and Morgana have already begun working their magic over him in which case we will need Jack’s love for him to get him back."

"You mean they’re brainwashing him, trying to turn Ianto against us and towards them?" Jack snarled angrily, clenching his fists at his sides.

"I'm afraid it's a very strong possibility." The Doctor hated to be the barrier of bad news but the truth was Jack's Ianto might already be lost to them.

Jack shook his head. "No, Ianto’s far too clever for that; he wouldn't be that easily fooled, not after the way he fooled me. I'll tell you later." Jack promised at the Doctor's raised eyebrow, and then he turned his attention to Tosh and Martha, "He's right though, you two need to stay here, if things go wrong, you're our only other hope."

Damn, but the man was right; Tosh hated the fact that Jack had a point. "I don't like it, but we'll stay here."

A scowl graced Martha's pretty face. "I agree with Tosh, I don't like it but I'll stay put as well; just please, be careful, Doctor."

A slightly maniacal grin appeared on the Time Lord's face. "Can't promise that, you know; we're going up against two very dangerous people,” the Doctor pointed out and there was an eager look in his eyes, as though he were truly looking forward to the challenges ahead as he added, “chances are we won't be safe at all!"

Tosh and Martha exchanged worried looks as they saw Jack echo the Doctor's insane grin. "And since the fate of our world lies in their hands, we’d better get working on Plan B," Tosh murmured to Martha; her mind was already flying along with ideas and notions.

******

The Master rubbed his hands together gleefully as he looked at his greatest creation, okay, his _second_ greatest after his son, of course. "Oh, she _is_ a thing of pure beauty," the Master purred, "I can hear her crying."

He had shown the Doctor’s beloved TARDIS the strongest possible future, including all the wonderful so-well-deserved pain that her precious humans would go through, not to mention what her dearest Jack would suffer through. The TARDIS knew that the only way to prevent such a vicious slaughter, the only hope for humanity’s future was to help the Master and Morgana take and keep control of Earth. _‘Forgive me, Doctor, but this is the only way.’_ Her tears of shame and guilt echoed bitterly throughout the vortex.

******

Sitting on the sidelines and well out of the way, Jack and Martha exchanged knowing looks as the Doctor and Tosh happily slipped into techno babble. Jack knew that Tosh was probably one of the very few people on the planet who could fully understand what the Doctor was saying. _‘In fact,’_ Jack mused as he watched his genius with pride, _‘she’s probably the only one who’s capable of_ _challenging_ _him_ _in ways very few_ _had.’_

An unexpected beeping caught Jack's attention and he looked down at his wrist strap in surprise. "Huh, I had almost forgotten that this thing could send messages," Jack muttered.

The beeping also interrupted the intense discussion between Tosh and the Doctor and she looked over at Jack. "But who has the technology to get in contact with you?" Tosh asked the question on both her and Martha's minds.

The Doctor looked stricken as he turned to face Jack. "I know two people who could."

More than a little worried about what he might find, Jack pressed the appropriate buttons and answered the call, and instantly a hologram of Morgana appeared before them. Even though he knew she was thoroughly insane Jack couldn't help but give her a good look over; he found that actually he could make out which of Ianto's features came from her.

"Captain Jack Harkness,” Morgana greeted him graciously. “It's so nice to finally meeting the man who has bonded with my son. I should let you know that Ianto’s affection for you is the only reason we haven't yet destroyed the warehouse you are currently hiding in," the sorceress informed them and she looked around as though she were in the room with them.

Jack and the Doctor shared a look of true alarm; it seems they weren't as hidden as they had hoped. "Well, that's rather nice of you, although it would be even nicer if you gave me back my Ianto and the rest of my team. That would make me rather happy," Jack’s courteous demand was accompanied by a cold smile that went nowhere near his eyes.

"Ianto is home, safe and sound, where he belongs with his family. As for the rest of your adorable little team, well, they’re right here," Morgana stepped aside to show a tightly bound up Owen and Gwen lying on the floor behind her. "In the spirit of cooperation, Captain Harkness, I offer you a trade which I believe you will find most equitable. I will release your team members in exchange for you and the Doctor, otherwise, at Sunrise tomorrow morning they will be killed and branded as traitors to the Realm after they were captured trying to assassinate the new Prime Minster."

Jack knew he could never let Owen and Gwen be killed and he glanced with alarm at the Doctor who nodded his head; they had little choice but to agree, though the immortal had little doubt that Morgana and the Master would actually keep their word. Returning his attention to Morgana’s image, Jack stated firmly, "I want your word that no harm will come to Toshiko Sato and Martha Jones." He knew with certainty that he couldn't do anything to help Owen and Gwen but he would do everything in his power, including sacrifice himself, to keep Tosh and Martha safe.

The woman appeared highly amused by Jack’s demand. "Oh Captain, Toshiko Sato was never in any danger! She was the only one on your team to treat Ianto with respect and show him a hint of kindness; she and Miss Jones will be spared, I swear on my son's life." Morgana knew that it was the only way they would believe her.

"You have a deal, where do we meet?" Jack agreed out loud, although silently he wondered, _‘I wonder if your husband will respect your promise?’_ He seriously doubted it.

The smile that Morgana gave them was pure wickedness. "Wise choice, Captain; the coordinates are being sent to your wrist strap. You have ten minutes to arrive or we kill one of your team."

Jack and the Doctor shared a grim look, _‘she_ _is_ _very_ _serious’._ "We'll be there," the immortal confirmed.

As if to remind him of the urgency of the situation, Morgana stepped back just enough for Jack to see his team again, a not-so-subtle reminder that Gwen and Owen's lives were at stake before her hologram image vanished without saying another word.

"Be careful, Jack, they’re powerful and very dangerous and they clearly have something planned." Tosh tried not to let her voice waver as warned her boss; she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Jack brushed a kiss on the top of Tosh's forehead and then blinked in surprise when she pulled him into a tight hug. Wrapping his arms around her in return, he tried to comfort the woman who was the closest thing to a sister/daughter he’d ever known. "I know, but the most important thing is for you and Martha to stay safe while we get the others back." Jack knew he could survive anything but his fragile team could not, although he had to wonder if Ianto was as fragile as he’d once been given who his parents turned out to be.


	7. Chapter 7

"Well, this is interesting," the Doctor commented as he and Jack teleported to the desired coordinates; he crossed over to a large window and was surprised to see they were in the middle of the sky. He could clearly see the blue ribbon of the Thames River snaking its way through London.

"This is the HMS Valiant, UNIT’s brand new flagship! Oh, this is really bad, Doc, _really_ bad!" Jack let out a soft whistle, he would be the first to admit that he had been slightly jealous when he learned UNIT was getting an airborne man-of-war and Torchwood, which had been around for decades longer than UNIT, wasn’t.

"Well you certainly took your time," a teasing voice came from behind them.

Turning abruptly, Jack and the Doctor came face-to-face with the Master, Morgana, a host of heavily-armed UNIT soldiers, and a bound and gagged Gwen and Owen kneeling at the evil couple’s feet.

A quick glance around showed him that his heart’s desire was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Ianto?" Jack demanded harshly as he glared at the insane Time Lord and witch.

 

Morgana couldn't help but smile with maternal delight; she was pleased to see that Jack asked about her son first before anyone else. “My son is in a safe, comfortable place and he will stay there until the time is right. Now then, you two, toss over your wrist strap and sonic screwdriver," Morgana ordered, all traces of good humour now gone. 

Jack really hated to part with his beloved wrist strap – Ianto had once joked that it was like being part of a ménage a trios – but he had faith that he would get it back soon. After giving his strap to one of the UNIT men, he watched with badly concealed amusement as the Doctor hemmed and hawed – at one point it looked like he was actually talking to it – and pouted quite childishly but eventually, he did hand his precious screwdriver to the waiting soldiers.

 

Looking closely at the men who now held his and Jack’s belongings, something about the men struck him as odd and then it dawned on him. "You're controlling them, aren't you?" the Doctor demanded.

 

"And how!” A giant grin appeared on the Master's face as he chortled gleefully. “You see, I have these pathetic humans eating out of the palm of my hand; they’ve been absolutely _begging_ to be ruled.” He paused and looked at the Doctor speculatively. “I’m actually quite surprised that you never caught on to that, Theta. You’ve been coming here for how many decades now? I’m on my first visit and I noticed their weak minds the moment I arrived. I think you’re slipping in your old age!”

 

The Doctor bristled indignantly. “First of all, I am not old, and second, the human race is not weak! The human brain is a marvelous thing, capable of incredible feats of bravery, intelligence and emotion. They don’t need to be controlled!”

 

“Oh, pshaw!” the Masters snorted derisively. “I believe you’re deluding yourself, Doctor. I walked in, said hello and they immediately gave in so easily it was embarrassing. Besides, with what is coming their way, they were more than willing to accept our control.”

 

“What do you mean ‘what is coming’?” As far as Jack could remember there was nothing happening on Earth for the next ten years.

 

“I am so glad you asked, freak, shows you know how to pay attention,” the Master sneered at Jack. “What if we told you that in less than a year, Owen Harper would be dead twice over and Toshiko Sato would die in your arms? How about a year later, in, say, July of 2009, the 456 would return – you remember, them, don’t you, freak? – and demand ten percent of the Earth’s children and that my successor, who was more than willing to agree with the deal, blew up your Hub so you couldn’t interfere?”

 

Seeing the panic in Jack’s eyes, the Master stepped in closer to him and spoke words that tore straight into his very soul, “Here’s the best part so listen closely, what if I told you that Ianto would die in your arms when the two of you went to confront them? And to save every other child in the world you would have to sacrifice your own grandson in order to destroy the 456?”

 

Shocked to the core, Jack stumbled back from the Master, pure, undeniable horror written all over his handsome face. “No, you’re lying!” he gasped, looking to the Doctor for reassurance.

 

The Master was outraged by Jack’s accusation. “I would _never_ lie about the safety of my son! He is the only thing that matters to me besides Morgana. Ianto will die in your arms, declaring his love for you and you would deny him his last wish! _You_ let him die in doubt believing that you never loved him, that he was just a convenience to use and throw away.” The Master smiled cruelly as he saw tears begin to slide down Jack’s cheeks.

 

“And then, when his Time Lord DNA surfaced, he became lost to you forever. Does it make you happy to know that his soul cried out for yours desperate to be with you again? Well you’ll really appreciate the fact that because he believed he was fourth best, he gathered up the shreds of his dignity and refused to seek you out,” the Time Lord snarled at Jack. “Instead of pursuing happiness, my son, my only flesh and blood, allowed himself to fade away to nothing.”

 

The immortal wanted to deny the Master’s words, oh god he wanted to deny them, to shout at the mad man that such a thing would never happen between him and Ianto, but he couldn’t. To his eternal shame he knew he would avoid saying those words at Ianto’s death bed if only to spare himself the pain that would come after Ianto was gone and he was left alone.

 

Something must have shown in Jack’s eyes, because the Doctor said softly, “No, Jack, whatever you’re thinking of doing, think again.”

 

With steely determination, Jack ignored the Doctor. “You can keep Ianto alive and my team safe? You can stop the 456 from taking any children? You can save my grandson?” Jack simply could not go through the rest of time with the guilt of Ianto, Stephan, Tosh and even Owen’s deaths on his hands. Even more gutting was the fact that he couldn’t picture a world without Ianto by his side and he decided that he wouldn’t allow his Ianto die, to fade away, as the Master had put it. He wouldn’t.

 

All the time her husband had been painting a picture of pain and death for Jack, the sorceress had been watching the immortal and she knew the instant he surrendered to the inevitable. “You have our word, Captain. They will be protected by us and by our friends, the Fae,” Morgana answered for her husband, sincerity dripping from her every word.

 

“Jack, you can’t be serious! You can’t leave the Earth in their hands!” the Doctor cried out; he couldn’t believe Jack was actually listening to them. _‘Can’t he see they’re insane, that they’ll never keep their word?’_

 

Jack turned to face his old friend with a sad but determined look in his eye. “I’m sorry, Doc, but I refuse to lose Ianto or Stephan to the 456, not when we have help. You’re not always here when we need you, Doc, they will be.” In his heart he knew he was making a deal with the devil, but Jack just didn’t have much of a choice.

 

“Doctor, my dear Doctor, there’s no need to worry or fear. My wife is human and my son is half-human which makes certain apes family and I protect family. Plus, for some reason I cannot fathom, Ianto is rather fond of this planet despite all the pain it has cost him over the years. My dark Queen was made to rule and rule this planet we shall. Together we will keep it safe from all the dangers that are to come, the ones you won’t be around to stop.”

 

The Master took a step towards the Doctor and leaned forward to whisper confidentially words for the Doctor’s ears only, “When the planets move, an old enemy returns and the mind of the one you will come to care about will burn. When this occurs, you will seek out our help and you will grateful we are here.”

 

His hearts were doing flips in his chest at the Master’s predictions and in order to hide his fear he changed the subject. “How do I know that you won’t enslave the human race or try to wipe them out?” the Doctor demanded to know.

 

The Master gave a graceful and slightly embarrassed shrug to his shoulders. “Actually that was my first plan but as my lovely wife pointed out if I wish to regain my son’s love and trust I can’t do that. So I settled on ruling them instead. It’s a win-win situation if you think about it. I’m a soon-to-be ruler once everyone is under our control, we’ll have our son back with us after nearly two decades, and he will be kept safe from all dangers.”

 

The Doctor turned his gaze to Jack, hoping that the immortal would side with him. Surely the man could see that what the Master was proposing was so, so wrong, but the look in Jack’s eyes dashed that hope.

 

Jack looked utterly broken and defeated. “Doc, please, it’s the only way,” he was pleading for understanding. “Humanity isn’t ready for what is out there, you know that. You saw what happened when they watched Daleks flying through the air over Canary Wharf and Cybermen walking the streets. Those silver monsters were in their homes and their places of work and they _still_ bought whole-heartedly into the stories that were released.”

 

“No, Doc, we both know that when the 456 come they’ll be totally unprepared and the people currently in power will just stick their heads in the sand and say yeah, whatever. When those drug-addicted monsters demand the children the world will fall apart. It will be pure chaos out there and you know it! Humanity won’t survive long enough to make it to the stars if we don’t have leaders who know what’s going on. As I see it, we have no choice but to make a deal with the devil.”

 

Try as he might, Jack just didn’t see any other way but to accept the Master and Morgana’s offer. "We have a deal, now release my team."

 

“Of course, Jack, a deal is a deal.” While Morgana would have liked nothing more than to torture Gwen for a very long, oh-so-satisfying time and then kill her in the slowest, most painful way possible – okay, she’d already filled the giant vat with oil and put it over a slow flame in one of their TARDIS’ back rooms; by the time she was tired of all the torture, the oil was sure to be boiling– but she was bound by her word on her son’s life. However,the sorceress gloated, _nothing_ in their bargain said that she couldn’t make sure that Gwen’s life was absolutely miserable due entirely to her own making. _‘It_ _will be rather easy to break that_ silly Retcon and allow Rhys to remember everything that Gwen _has made him forget.’_ With a sense of euphoria over her up-coming plans, the sorceress mentally rubbed her hands together. _‘Her world will fall to ashes and it will be of her own doing!’_

 

Morgana was dragged from her pleasant reverie when the Master gently poked her in the ribs and nodded discretely towards their prisoners. With a charming smile for all, she quickly chanted a spell under her breath and with an imperious wave of her hand Owen and Gwen were gone.

 

“Thank you,” Jack grunted graciously as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them, “Now take me to Ianto.”

The look the Master gave Jack made it clear he thought the immortal was something he had scraped off the bottom of his shoe. "Let me make something very clear, Freak, the only reason I haven't killed you over and over again is because for some reason my son loves you and which means hurting you will hurt him."

Jack stared at the Master with pure hatred burning in his eyes. "A monster like you has no right calling a wonderful man like Ianto, son!" Jack snarled at him.

“Oh and I suppose a disgusting _freak_ like _you_ has the right to claim him? You treated my son like he was lower than dirt, forgotten except when you needed a coffee, lunch ordered, something filed or just something to ogle like a pervert. You stared at him whenever you had the chance but you never once saw that he was screaming in pain or that he was a broken man. No, I take that back; you _did_ see that he was suffering but you either couldn’t be bothered or you just didn’t want to do anything about it. I don’t know which is worse!”

Morgana could tell that her husband was gearing up for a good long tirade so she quietly cleared her throat.

Even though he would love to have yelled at Jack for a lot longer, Koschei bowed to his wife’s wisdom, but he couldn’t resist one final shot. “You hated the fact that the man you wanted in your bed more than anyone else was tainted in your eyes by his involvement with Torchwood One.”

As much as those words to hear, Jack could not deny that they held a powerful and pure truth in them. He hadn't wanted to see Ianto as anything but someone to share his bed with because he did stir up bed memories of Torchwood One. _‘I really was the world’s biggest arse, wasn’t I?’_ He’d kept Ianto at a distance for no other reason than his own prejudice against Yvonne Hartmann, not for anything Ianto himself had ever done. He’d automatically included his sweet young Welshman in with those he saw as only her mindless drones; in his mind if you worked for her then you were automatically just as bad as her.

“What’s the matter, freak, cat’s got your tongue?” the Master taunted, knowing that Jack had no defense against the truth. He was really enjoying seeing the detested man squirm. _‘It’s not as good as true torture, but it’ll do for now.’_ Morgana shook her head. “Enough!  Both of you stop this right now! Koschei, you promised that you wouldn’t do this for Ianto’s sake. Now behave the both of you,” and she speared the men with a sharp glare. “Don’t think I won’t turn you into a set of slugs,” Morgana growled. This was their chance to win back their son and she wasn’t about to let her husband’s jealousy over the special place Jack held in Ianto’s heart ruin that.

‘ _If it’s at all possible,’_ the Doctor thought, _‘the Master actually looks slightly cowed by his wife’s threat.’_ As it turned out his suspicions were right.

“She means that.” The Master nodded, remembering the last time he’d angered Morgana; it hadn’t been a pretty sight, watching his manly bits and bobs grow back.

“I’m only doing this for Ianto because if it weren’t for him I’d shoot you where you stand,” Jack growled at the Master.

The Time Lord crossed his arms over his chest and grinned brightly at Jack, surprising everyone. “I might actually come to like you, freak. Just remember while you can look if you ever think about touching, I will take great joy in torturing you over and over again,” the Master warned. “And trust me what I do to you will be merciful compared to what Morgana will do to you if you hurt our son in any way.”

Jack swallowed hard, he wasn’t about to test his immortality against the most powerful witch to ever live on planet Earth. He smiled reassuringly at Morgana. “Ianto’s not the only one who can feel the soul bond between us. I knew from the moment we met that he was meant for me, but refused to act on it because I couldn’t bind myself to Ianto or him to me, not when I’m immortal. Until now, I thought my Ianto was human and I didn’t think it would be fair to him to grow old and never see me age along with him. I had no clue he would come back from death like I do.”

“Well now, Captain, you  will never have to worry about losing Ianto to death, our son is his a combination of my magic and Koschei’s time. He cannot be so easily taken from you, which means there _will_ be a bonding ceremony in the near future.” The look in Morgana’s eyes promised pain if Jack disagreed.

Jack felt his heart take flight with joy; all he wanted was to build a life with Ianto and to spend the rest of their lives together. With sudden dismay he realised that he still hadn’t been given the chance to tell his beloved Welshman that that was why he had gone with the Doctor, to find out if he could become mortal so he could grow old with a certain blue-eyed Welshman.

A true smile curled Jack’s lips and made his eyes sparkle brightly; if he’d had the nerve, he’d have given Morgana the hug of her life. _‘Well it looks like I don’t have to worry about losing my_ _soul mate anymore.’_ He turned to Morgana; “It won’t be right away, I need to prove to Ianto that I’m serious about us first. I won’t rush him into anything he doesn’t want.” Then he turned to face the Master; “But the day will come when I will ask you for your son’s hand, I promise you.”

That seemed to be the right thing to say as Morgana and the Master both visibly relaxed. “All right, then, I think the time has come,” Morgana motioned for them to follow her and she led the three men down one of the Valiant’s long hallways, coming to a stop in front of a a set of double-doors which she threw open with a flourish.

The Doctor’s jaw dropped in absolute shock as it opened to show two TARDISes, sitting side-by-side. He never knew – never even suspected – that there was another ship like his in the Universe.

“Oh, come now, old friend, you didn’t really think your TARDIS was the only one around, did you?” the Master questioned his fellow Time Lord having seen the look in his eyes; the surprise at seeing two ships paled next to the joy of finding his own beloved TARDIS again.

The Doctor tried to shrug his shoulders casually, “Well given that I haven’t ever seen another TARDIS it was fair guess that she was the only one left. I am very happy to know that I was wrong.” A hard look entered the Time Lord’s eyes replacing the joy, “So does this mean I am allowed to leave?”

“Of course! You’re free to go and come as you like! I’m not a monster, Doctor, plus as you pointed out earlier, we _are_ the last two full-blooded Time Lords left.” The Master looked truly horrified that the Doctor, his oldest friend in all of time and space, would honestly think that he wouldn’t allow him to leave or come back.

“We’ll give you two a few moments to say good-bye, Jack, and then our TARDIS will lead you to where Ianto is resting in one of her rooms. As anxious as we are to get to know our son, we think it would be best if you were the one who explained everything to Ianto. He knows and trusts you.” Morgana reluctantly pointed out the truth, even though it hurt her to do so, to admit that her son would trust the lover who had abandoned him more than he would trust them. They may have been his parents, but they were complete strangers to him.

At the door, the Master turned back around; “Almost forgot,” he grinned, although there was no humour in his eyes, and he tossed first the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver and then Jack’s wrist strap back to their respective owners. Grateful to be reunited with his strap, Jack wasted no time in buckling it around his wrist while the Doctor gave his screwdriver a loud smacking kiss before depositing it in his inner jacket pocket.

The Doctor and Jack stared silently at one another as Morgana and the Master stepped outside the room; although the two were out of sight, they had no doubt that they were still being closely watched and the first wrong move would be their last.

“I sure hope you know what you are doing, Jack.” The Doctor didn’t like the idea of giving the Master and Morgana any type of control on Earth; he was sure that Jack was just asking for trouble.

“So do I, Doc, but I can’t lose any of them and if this keeps them alive until I can think of something, then so be it. Do me a favour, please ask Tosh to go with you and Martha; tell her I said I want her to go. Someone like Tosh is wasted here on Earth, show her the stars, please?” Jack begged the Doctor. He wanted his sweet Japanese genius to know there was more than Weevil’s and evil Time Lords in the Universe.

From the moment he’d met her over the body of a man/pig, the Doctor had felt a kindred spirit hiding within Toshiko Sato. “If she wishes to come then she is more than welcome. And don’t think I won’t be back to check in from time to time to make sure you’re alright and that they’re keeping up their end of the pact.”

That eased some of Jack’s fears, knowing that the one Time Lord he could and did trust would be stopping to make sure he hadn’t doomed the world by entrusting it in the hands of two of the most powerful and dangerous beings in the universe. “I’ll be looking forward to your visits and I can’t wait for you to meet Ianto next time you visit, Doc, you’re going to love him, but not too much, he’s mine!” Jack growled out in warning.

The Doctor shook his head with fond amazement at the possessive side Jack was showing over his young man. “I look forward to meeting him. You better not keep him waiting any longer.”

“Never again,” Jack promised as he reached out and pulled the Doctor into a hug. “Don’t be a stranger and don’t forget you’re gonna have a bonding ceremony to attend.”

The Doctor returned the hug tightly. “I won’t,” and he would keep that promise, he had to keep an eye on his fellow Time Lord and Morgana.

Jack found it surprisingly very easy to let go of the Doctor, because as much as he cared for the Time Lord his heart belonged to Ianto and it was time he let Ianto know.

******

Jack could taste the time vortex in the air and something else, he wasn’t sure what, was mixed in with it but it had clung to Ianto since the moment they’d met and he was ashamed to say he’d ignored it, just like a lot of things he’d missed when it came to Ianto. _'I promise this time I will do things right.'_

Jack waited impatiently until the Doctor and his TARDIS had vanished from sight before allowing the second ship to lead him down her halls. She’d let a door swing open silently and Jack stuck his head inside, taking a look around; what he saw amazed him. _‘This looks like a scene right out of a fairytale!’_ There, sleeping soundly on a king-sized bed was his beloved and long-missed Ianto with just a single blood-red silk sheet covering him to the waist.

Heat flooded his groin and Jack groaned as desire so strong he could taste it surged through his body. “This is just not fair! How am I supposed to resist temptation when you offer me this prize?” Jack demanded as he turned his gaze to the unfamiliar TARDIS’ ceiling. He would have sworn that she was laughing at him in response.

_‘It is time for you to awaken Ianto and as they do in all good fairytales, you must do_ _so with a kiss,’_ the new TARDIS commanded.

A smirk appeared on Jack’s face as he glanced up at her once more. “I think you and I are going to get along wonderfully.” Bending down he captured Ianto’s lips pouring all his love into the tender kiss. He felt the vortex in him reacting to the spark in Ianto just before he felt Ianto’s lips pressing back against his.

Thinking at first that he was still dreaming, Ianto slowly blinked the sleep from his mind, and when he realised that the a familiar pair of blue eyes swimming in front of his vision was very real, he smiled in joyful welcome. “Jack? Is it really you?”

Jack smiled down at Ianto; suddenly the pact he’d made didn’t seem all that bad not when it meant that he got to keep Ianto in his life forever. “Hey there, sleepy head, welcome back to the world of the living, you’ve missed a lot.”

Ianto’s brow furrowed as he licked his dry lips, “I don’t understand what’s been going on, Jack, and I saw things that make no sense.”

Gently stroking Ianto’s cheek Jack couldn’t resist in placing a another tender kiss on Ianto’s lips. “I’ll explain everything to you, I promise, and it might seem crazy and insane at first, but it’s true, you just have to trust me. But first I owe you an apology for the way I treated you before I left; it was wrong of me to and never tell you how I feel, and to treat you like you didn’t matter. If you’ll give me another chance, I’ll do this right and you will never doubt where you lay in my heart, that you _are_ my heart.”

Reaching up Ianto covered Jack’s hand where it rested on his cheek. “You’re not the only one who made mistakes, Cariad, I did as well. I know you had doubts about your place in my heart as well, and you know how much I loved Lisa; I think we both need to work on our relationship skills.” There was a twinkle in Ianto’s eyes that assured Jack he was going to enjoy ‘working’ on those skills very much.

Jack was always amazed with how well Ianto could read him; yes, he _had_ been jealous of how deeply Ianto loved Lisa and to what lengths he would go to in order save her. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you properly, Jones, Ianto Jones.”

Ianto smiled at Jack. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you as well, Captain Jack Harkness.”

******

Standing arm in arm on the bridge of the Valiant Morgana and the Master stood enjoying the view from the huge window. “So what do you think of your kingdom, my dear?” the Master asked watching as the setting sun cast a enthralling glow about his wife.

A sweet smile graced Morgana’s face as she looked up at her husband. “It’s perfect, Koschei, because at long last we are a family again and together we will destroy anything that poses a threat to our son.” 

Morgana could feel it in her soul; magic was re-awakening and soon would be returning to this land. Her kind would once again live and this time they would be in charge leaving humanity no choice but to bow to them. At long last she had found her happiness, and nothing and no one was going to take it away from her, not this time. Not while there was a single spark of  magic left in her body.

******

Sitting on a park bench under the broad umbrella of branches and leaves, an old man with a long white beard smiled with contentment as he felt the last of the sun’s warm glow on his wrinkled face. Magic was returning and soon his dear Arthur would awaken.

The End.

 


End file.
